


The Chosen Ones

by Writer_With_No_Name



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Auror Harry Potter, Camp Half-Blood (Percy Jackson), Crossover, Gen, Hunger Games
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:47:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 21,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26159746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writer_With_No_Name/pseuds/Writer_With_No_Name
Summary: The Oracle's newest prophecy is nothing but a scream as monsters of Greek Myth gather led by an unknown foe.Lucius Malfoy has been acting strangely and now has vanished, possibly fleeing to America.Remnants of the Capitol have started an all-out assault, with resources and monsters the likes of which the world has never seen.Though these problems may seem distant and unconnected, Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, and Katniss Everdeen will soon discover they could spell the end of the world - and may have done so already.
Kudos: 10





	1. PERCY

Percy Jackson. Son of Poseidon. Hero of Camp Half-Blood. Praetor of the Twelfth Legion of Camp Jupiter. The Chosen One.

A child was missing, and Percy had to find her before time ran out. And time was running out fast. Hide-and-seek was truly the most dangerous of games.

The way Estelle Blofis played it was, anyway. The girl was ruthless. Percy had experience finding much more elusive opponents, literal invisible monsters, yet it was his nine-year-old sister in this small Manhattan apartment that gave him the most difficulty. The hiding spots he knew of she’d shown Percy because she’d “gotten bored of them.”

The search for Estelle went on for about an hour before Percy checked his watch, a gift for his eighteenth birthday his stepfather Paul had given him. Percy’s biological father gave him a portion of Atlantis. That was a fun day.

“Stelle!” He called out. “I’ve got to go now!”

“That didn’t work the last two times!” Estelle’s voice rang out across the apartment. It was as if she was everywhere and nowhere.

“I’m serious this time!” Percy yelled back. He waited, but Estelle did not appear. Percy moved slowly for the door. He opened it with the speed of a sloth, hoping to give Estelle time to pop out. In the doorway stood Estelle with a big grin on her face.

Percy didn’t have a response at first, finally settling on a, “…how?”

“If I told you, it would ruin the game, silly!” She grabbed Percy in a tight hug. “Good luck with Annabeth.” Then she moved past him to the couch.

“Love you, Estelle!” Percy called.

“Love you, too,” she murmured. She was already engrossed in her video game. He left the apartment and made his way down to his car. He drove off in his blue car toward the nearby Fadlan’s Falafels.

It had been a little over a decade since Apollo had appeared and dragged Percy on his last quest. Sure, there had been the training with Annabeth’s cousin, but beyond that Percy had what he wanted: a quiet, happy life. Even the monsters, which normally followed a half-blood’s scent and forced him to move around, had seemingly all but vanished. Percy was fine with that.

Percy found a spot directly out in front of Fadlan’s. Annabeth was on her laptop, engrossed in what she was doing. New Rome University had set her up with an architectural firm that she raved about to Percy. They’d been dating for ten years and living together for five. They were like an old married couple, save for the married part.

He clutched the ring box in his pocket before stepping out of the car. No, obviously he wouldn’t do it here. But he did have a day planned that ended with it.

Percy entered and sat across from Annabeth. She noticed him after a few minutes and set aside her laptop. They spent the next half-hour talking about Annabeth’s job, her new dislike of burgers, Estelle’s scary hide-and-seek skills, and Grover’s newest measures on the council. No monster talk. Just talk. If it didn’t involve the end of the world, Percy was happy. In fact, they only stopped at the half-hour mark because of what happened next.

The door swung open violently. Percy paid it no mind until Annabeth’s eyes were focused on what had entered behind him. Percy gripped his pen- the sword Riptide- and swung around quickly, bracing for an attack.

Rachel Elizabeth Dare, the current Oracle of Delphi, stumbled over to their table and leaned against it. At first, Percy didn’t understand why Annabeth had looked so shocked, but as he studied her closer, he realized what she was seeing. Rachel’s hair was messier than normal, her clothes mismatched. Her eyes were crazed, and she was missing a shoe.

“Rachel?” Annabeth reached her hand out to Rachel. “Are you-?”

Rachel pulled back violently. She looked at Percy. “Percy…”

“Rachel, what’s wrong?” He asked. In response, Rachel’s eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed to the floor. Annabeth and Percy leapt from their seats and kneeled down next to her. She attempted to speak, starting to make a noise but saying nothing.

“Annabeth?” Percy asked. Rachel had started thrashing, her limbs flailing wildly and her chest rising and falling rapidly.

“I think she’s trying to give a prophecy,” she muttered, aware of the people staring. Percy was going to say something about an ambulance, but because of Rachel’s status as an oracle, he thought better of it.

“But why is she seizing?”

“I don’t know,” Annabeth answered. Percy knew someone who might, but that was in the “other world.” Annabeth made the choice before he’d said a word.

“I think we should take her to camp.”

Rachel had stopped thrashing enough that Percy was able to pick her up. Carrying Rachel, he and Annabeth made a quick exit from Fadlan’s and to Percy’s car. Annabeth sat with Rachel in the backseat, trying to calm her down but to no avail. Rachel was thrashing more, something Percy didn’t appreciate as he got back on the road. A loud chorus of thuds continued to sound off.

“How’s she doing?” Percy asked.

“She’s thrashing again,” Annabeth said. “It’s like there’s some kind of glitch with the Oracle.”

“Like the Python guy in the caves?”

“No, this is different,” Annabeth studied Rachel but couldn’t seem to discern anything. Rachel was silent and unmoving again. “Percy, I think she’s about to say it.”

Percy and Annabeth waited in silence. Percy found himself on the long stretch of road leading back to Camp Half-Blood. It had been a long time, but hopefully they’d know what to-

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Percy swerved, almost slamming into a large truck driving opposite. The car continued to spiral before finally stopping in the center of the road. The screaming continued for another few seconds before Rachel fell silent and still.

The car had stopped in the middle of the road, crisscrossed between two lanes. Suddenly aware of where they were, Percy moved the car forward to camp.


	2. HARRY

Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived. The Master of Death. Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The Chosen One.

Harry sat in his study, pouring over vanilla folder after vanilla folder. For a magical detective, it was oddly mundane. He didn’t mind it, though. It was a nice change of pace from deadly chases and life-or-death decisions. This way, he could be at home with his wife, Ginny. Their kids were at Hogwarts and returning in a few days for Christmas break. Ginny was blissfully asleep upstairs while Harry remained unaware of the hours ticking by as he stared into the folder, trying to find some clue for the case he had missed.

A Department of Mysteries base hidden in London had been raided by unknown forces. Several employees, including Saul Croaker, a high-ranking agent, had been killed. The men and women knew the risks of working in that particular department, but this was different. Harry had visited the site a few hours before. Destruction had been wrought and things were stolen, yet that’s not what scared him. It was the weapons the intruders had used.

Guns.

Wizards didn’t use muggle devices like this. Most didn’t know the function of a rubber duck, let alone guns. Harry spent most of his time in the wizarding world nowadays, but still retained enough information of the Muggle world to know what a gun was. Hermione, too, had expressed concern about this. They could trace the guns, but that forensic science wasn’t a wizard’s forte. Despite its many upsides, wizards had many flaws that irritated Harry.

A knock at his door snapped Harry out of his trance. He stood from his desk and braced himself against it. What time was it? It didn’t matter. He fumbled for his glasses and wand, then made his way to the door. He slowly opened the door in case it was reporter or some other annoyance.

Draco Malfoy stood still, almost like a statue. At least wasn’t a reporter.

“Harry,” he said, “sorry if I woke you.”

“No, it’s fine, I was up,” Harry said, rubbing his eyes. “Come in, come in.”

Draco entered the house as Harry shut the door behind him. Harry motioned him to his study. He sat down behind his desk as Draco pulled up a spare chair.

“So, what are you doing here at-” Harry looked around but didn’t see a clock. “-this hour of the night?”

“It’s morning.”

“It is?”

“Yeah.”

The room went silent. Harry waited for Draco to continue speaking, and when he didn’t, Harry did.

“I know you didn’t come here for a social call, Draco. What is it?” Harry asked gently.

Draco stared at the floor for a few seconds longer, then looked up. “It’s my dad.”

“Lucius?”

“Do I have another?”

“I’m trying to help you, you know.”

“Sorry.”

Harry waited again. “Draco, you have to give me more to go on here. What’s wrong with Lucius?”

“He’s been acting strange for the past couple of weeks. Been prying around the manor, taking the artifacts.”

“They are his,” Harry pointed out.

“Yeah, but he’s never even looked at them since the Death Eaters fell. Then he started stockpiling them, talking about how he needs them. I’ve been following him. He’s talking to his old Death Eater buddies again. Making visits to them at Azkaban.”

Harry didn’t respond for a moment. Pausing between each word, careful in choosing them, he said, “that’s a very serious problem, Draco. Have you spoken to him?”

“I was going to yesterday, but… he’s gone,” Draco said.

“Gone?”

“Just up and vanished from the manor,” Draco explained. “Took some of the artifacts with him.”

“I can get the Department’s best men on it.” Harry had jumped into panic mode, standing and already fumbling for his cell phone. “We can-”

“Harry!” Draco interrupted, “that’s not why I’m here.”

Harry paused. He looked at Draco curiously. “You came to the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, told him Death Eaters were gathering, and then… what, exactly?”

“You don’t know what it’s been like since the war. People still look at us like criminals.” Harry held his tongue as Draco continued. “I was hoping you could get my father out of this without arresting him.”

“He’s an adult, Draco, making his choices.”

“But he’s my dad,” Draco protested. “And it doesn’t matter the mistakes he’s made, he’s family. And I need your help. Please… I don’t want to lose him.”

Harry could tell Draco was desperate. His eyes showed it and sleeplessness. How long had this been eating at him?

“I guess I can wait to open an official investigation. For now. I don’t know how much time I can put into this, though. There’s a lot going on right now. Where do you think he might be?”

Draco thought for a moment. “I know a lot of Death Eaters went to America after the war. Dad wanted to go there when we fled, but Mum convinced him to stay. One of his friends owns a building in New York City. Maybe there?”

Harry sighed. “I could take a few days off, I suppose.”

Draco let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Harry. I owe you. When do we go?”

Harry shook his head. “No, if the both of us go, it’ll seem suspicious. I’ll go on my own and let you know if I find anything.”

“But-”

“Trust me, Draco,” Harry said. Draco nodded and stood to leave. Harry added, “I’ll find him. You have my word.”

Draco thanked Harry again and left. Harry sat in his chair again and leaned back. He and Draco had a tense relationship after Hogwarts, one of mutual tolerance more than anything else. But Harry wouldn’t abandon him in a time of need like this. Still, America wasn’t exactly a top destination.

He sighed and held up his wand. “Nox,” he whispered. The light in the study went out. Harry trudged upstairs to bed.


	3. KATNISS

Katniss Everdeen. Victor of the 74th Annual Hunger Games. The Mockingjay. The Girl on Fire. The Chosen One.

Katniss watched from the porch of her home as her two small children fumbled their way around the meadow. Her husband, Peeta, was inside making breakfast. She was on watch duty, making sure Willow didn’t try to bash Rye’s brains in again. She’d zoned out listening to the mockingjays sing. She wasn’t sure what tune they had picked up, or where it had come from, but she liked it.

She looked toward the door and saw Peeta, watching their kids play. He looked almost the same as he did when she had first met him. If she focused, however, she could see the wrinkles under his eyes and the grey in his hair, though she wouldn’t claim to be any different.

“Is breakfast ready?” Katniss asked.

“Yeah, it’s ready,” he answered. “I just wanted to watch them for a bit.”

Rye had fallen over trying to catch Willow. She ran back and helped him up, checking for any wounds. Rye giggled, tagged her, then ran shouting “you’re it!” Willow stomped on the ground and took off after him.

“You know, for however much she tortures him, they make a great team,” Peeta said.

And he was right. For however much she seemed to try to kill her brother, Willow was guiding him away from going to far into the woods. It reminded her of the way she and Prim used to be. She hadn’t told her children about Prim, or about much of the war. Their only real connection to it had been some stories from Peeta- censored, of course- and Haymitch, though he seldom visited.

“Come on,” Peeta whispered. He walked over to Katniss and pulled her up to her feet. He didn’t need to, of course, but she enjoyed the treatment. Katniss was about to call out to her children, but her voice caught in her throat. She stopped Peeta in the doorway and stared out into the forest. Something had caught her attention.

“What?” Peeta asked. Katniss shushed him and waited.

“Do you hear that?” she said. Peeta waited.

“I don’t hear anything,” he answered.

“The birds… they’ve stopped singing,” Katniss whispered. In the distance she could the mockingjays flying away, disturbed. Staring deeper into the forest, she could see the faint outline of some… _thing_.

“Willow, Rye! Get inside! Now!” Katniss yelled.

“But Mom!” Willow whined, “can’t we just-?”

“NOW!” Katniss shouted with a ferocity she had not felt in years. Willow and Rye did not question it further, running into the house.

“What is it?” Peeta was looking into the forest and had begun to notice the signs, but not the thing Katniss had seen.

“Stay with them!” Katniss ran inside the house and to hers and Peeta’s bedroom. From under the bed she pulled out a wooden box containing a specially crafted bow and equally unique arrows, weapons she hadn’t used in years. She armed herself and began moving toward the front door. She saw Peeta standing outside the children’s room, waiting for her. He opened his mouth to speak, but Katniss interrupted him.

“I don’t know what it is,” she said. “Stay with them.” Katniss continued to the front door and closed it behind her. She prepped an arrow and waited.

Maybe she was overreacting. Maybe it was just a bear that had already gone away. But at this point in her life, Katniss knew better than to doubt her gut.

She saw it before it had left the trees. The creature was not trying to be stealthy, like it knew nothing could harm it. At first, Katniss thought she was hallucinating, but the creature that broke through the trees was a lion. Katniss had never seen a lion, but she knew this one was not normal. It was as large as a hover car, with golden fur, silver claws, and rage in its eyes. Once it broke through the trees, it charged through the meadow towards Katniss.

Despite the shock of the attack, Katniss managed to keep her wits. She fired off the primed arrow between its eyes. It struck against the lion’s fur and bounced off harmlessly. She pulled out another arrow, this one explosive, and fired again. Again, the arrow failed to embed itself in its target, but did explode, stunning the lion.

She ran away from her house around the lion toward the open field, firing another explosive arrow. The lion turned to Katniss, its attention now fully on her.

“This way!” Katniss shouted, her eyes darting between the lion and the house. “Come on!” The lion roared in response. Katniss ran across the field and through the forest, moving far away from the house. She found herself deep in the cold forest with the monster only moments behind.

Katniss grabbed onto a tree and climbed. Though she wasn’t eighteen anymore, she managed to reach a stable branch above the lion. Only a few seconds later, the lion stopped and began sniffing the air. With the monster’s back to her, Katniss leapt from her hiding spot and onto the creature’s back.

The lion roared in rage and tried to shake off its attacker. Katniss gripped the lion tightly with one hand and reached for an arrow with the other. She pulled out the arrow and grabbed it in her mouth. The lion continued to try and shake her off as Katniss crawled up to its mane. She gripped the matted fur, pulled the arrow from her mouth, and jammed it into the lion’s eye. The lion howled in pain as Katniss pulled back. She was only a few feet away when the arrow exploded. She flew from the convulsing lion, slammed into a tree and down to the ground.

She couldn’t process much between the ringing in her ears and hazy vision, but through it all she could see the lion stumble before finally collapsing and leaving behind nothing but its pelt. She tried to get up and see if this was true, but her legs refused to cooperate. She figured something had to be broken. So, she lay in the forest until unconsciousness took over. Before she slipped, she could hear someone shouting her name.


	4. PERCY

Percy sat in the Poseidon Cabin, waiting for an update on Rachel’s condition. He and Annabeth had arrived just fine despite the scare and taken Rachel to Chiron, the centaur leader of Camp Half-Blood and protector of the demigods. Percy tired of waiting in the Big House and instead had taken a walk around camp. Nostalgia took him to the landmarks, but the stares led him to sit alone in his cabin.

As the first son of Poseidon in a century, Percy was the only one allowed to sleep in this cabin. It had led to some lonely nights, but he had gotten used to it. It had been years since he’d stepped foot in Camp Half-Blood, let alone the cabin, but the memories were still preserved.

Still he craved to return back to the city. All the people staring at him- the son of Poseidon and twice the subject of a major prophecy- unnerved him. Which didn’t make sense- he _loved_ Camp Half-Blood when he was younger. And he’d made it a better place for demigods! He should still be enjoying it! Wondering at the lake nymphs! Playing Capture the Flag!

Why didn’t he, then?

There was a knock at the door. Percy stood from his bed and opened it. Annabeth stood, a look of worry apparent.

“Thought I might find you here,” she said. “They said Rachel’s going to wake up in a few minutes. I figured you’d want to be there.”

“Yeah, yeah, let’s go!” Percy put on his bright face and tried walking past Annabeth. She put a hand to his chest.

“You’ve had more convincing performances, Percy,” she said. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m fine.”

"You’re hiding out in your cabin alone, unless I’m mistaken,” she looked past him in a mock attempt to confirm her suspicions. “You didn’t even say hi to anyone. Just sulked out once Rachel was stable. Something’s bothering you.”

Percy chuckled. “You know me well.”

“We’ve been together since high school. You get to know a person after all that time.” She grabbed his hand. “Talk to me?”

Percy slipped his hand from hers. “Come on,” he said. “We should go check on Rachel, right?”

Percy walked out. Annabeth reluctantly followed.

They reached the Big House a moment later. Rachel was laying on a couch in Chiron’s study, a wet rag over her forehead. Chiron himself was in his wheelchair form, sitting near her as Percy and Annabeth entered.

“Ah, Percy,” Chiron smiled. “I didn’t get a chance to say hello in all the confusion. How are you?”

Percy shrugged. “Alright, I guess.” He waited.

Chiron moved things along. “Ms. Dare, what about you?”

Rachel pushed herself up. “Probably worse than Percy,” she whispered through a hoarse voice.

You don’t sound great,” Annabeth observed.

“As it turns out, having the Oracle scream through you isn’t a pleasant experience on the vocal cords,” Rachel chuckled then began coughing.

“So, what happened?” Percy asked.

Rachel shrugged. “I don’t know. One minute I was doing laundry and then I got a headache. I figured it was the Oracle about to say something, so I went up to my apartment. Then something… just wasn’t right. I started feeling like I was going to throw up, everything started spinning. I started stumbling along the sidewalk and found you guys.”

Chiron asked, “And the prophecy you gave was…?”

“Fifteen seconds of screaming, yeah,” Rachel answered. Everyone stared at her, waiting for further explanation. “Don’t look at me, I’m just the messenger.”

Chiron stroked his chin in deep thought. “This doesn’t look good. Even in the most dire circumstances, the Oracle has always been-”

“Sane?” Percy finished.

Chiron nodded, then turned his attention back to Rachel. “Are you sure there was no indication what the Oracle was talking about?”

Rachel shook her head. She was about to say something further when a new voice cleared its throat. Percy turned to the doorway. Tyson, his Cyclopes brother, stood in the doorway.

“Hi,” he waved nervously, “I’m sorry to bother you guys, but I thought this was something important.”

Chiron waved him in. Tyson approached apprehensively and looked at Percy. “Hey, brother.”

“Are you okay?” Percy asked. “You’re less… jovial, than usual?”

Tyson rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m fine, just… worried.”

“Worried?”

Tyson cleared his throat to speak. “There was talk with the cyclopes. Some of us have contact with some people.”

“What kind of people, Tyson?” Annabeth asked.

Tyson shrugged. “Some were cyclopes. Other monsters. Other strange masked men.”

“Masked men?” Chiron asked.

Tyson shrugged. “I don’t know who they were. But some say they feel a pull to go… like they had call.”

Chiron turned to Rachel. “Rachel, does this seem like something the Oracle was trying to say?”

Rachel shrugged. “It might be. I can’t be sure, though.”

“Tyson,” Percy asked. “Have you been asked?”

Tyson nodded. “I feel pull too. And they hand out cards.”

“Cards?”

Tyson nodded again. “A harbor in the city.”

“Maybe we should go?” Annabeth announced. Percy stared at her. She added, “well, someone’s doing something, right? This is the best lead we have.”

Percy opened his mouth to speak, then looked at Tyson. Percy had seen his cyclops brother get enraged, happy, upset. This new look on his face, one of fear, caught Percy off-guard.

With a reluctant sigh, Percy asked, “Where is this harbor?”


	5. HARRY

Harry hadn’t gotten the chance to leave Britain all too often. Between his Auror work and his family, he did not have much in the way of free time. Of all his top choice destinations, however, America was certainly not one of them.

For muggles, the country was fine. It was huge, with many bustling metropolises. But beneath its muggle exterior lay the wizarding world, and for however bad Britain had gotten, America was worse. During the Great Depression, the government collapsed entirely, leading to anarchy all over the country. The muggle government survived, while the wizarding government had all but vanished. For other wizarding countries, it was practically a no-man’s-land.

These factors were what made Harry hesitant to go to the United States, and Hermione even less willing. He _had_ to tell her. Besides the fact that she was his friend, she was his boss. When the head of a large Ministry of Magic department decides to go on vacation to a desolate magical wasteland, the Minister needs to know.

“America?” Hermione asked.

Harry nodded and shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

“Why would Lucius go there?”

Harry shrugged. “I’ve told you everything I know. I just need you to give me a few days, figure things out.”

Hermione paused to pick the right words. “You’re throwing a lot at me, Harry. It’s bad enough you’re going to America. But you’re telling me Death Eaters might be gathering and that we can’t open an investigation because Malfoy said so?”

“It’s only a few days,” Harry countered. “If things get too rough, I’ll call for back-up.”

Hermione sighed. “Three days,” she said, “And then you are to come back and tell me what you found.”

Harry smiled. “Thank you, Minister Granger.” She hated it when he called her that, but he liked to tease her.

“Don’t make me regret this,” she replied.

left her office and began packing. He had talked things out with Ginny already, though she was still a little resistant to the idea. But Harry was committed to helping Draco, so he packed his clothes, wand, and invisibility cloak, and caught the next flight out of Britain to New York City.

…

Harry landed at JFK International a few hours prior. Unfortunately, he’d taken Delta Airlines, so it took him a while to get started.

Before Harry left, he had taken some files with him the Department had gotten their hands on following the dissolution of the American wizarding government. These files gave a detailed layout of the criminal underworld back in the 1930s and, with any luck, might still hold some clues to Lucius’s whereabouts.

Though most fled the country, some wizards and other magical creatures stayed behind after the war was over. Thus the Department of Magical Law Enforcement continued to keep tabs. One of these locations, “The Blind Pig”, was rumored to still be in action even a century later.

Harry had been to his hotel room briefly, tossing his suitcase inside, then got straight to work. Using Google Maps (Harry was still somewhat connected to the Muggle world that had raised him), Harry navigated to MacDougal street. At about noon, the street was oddly quiet. Still, assuming the information could be trusted, it made sense.

Harry walked into an alley and snuck down a small and secluded staircase. The staircase itself led to a solid wall with an advertisement featuring two women on it. Harry knocked on the wall and, to his odd lack of surprise, the figures on the wall began to move. One figure’s eyes tore away like paper, revealing a suspecting gentleman.

“Password?” he asked.

Harry paused for a moment, trying to remember the current code from the files and hoping it was up to date. “Dragon tooth.”

The man resealed the wall. Harry waited. He found it strange how worried he was getting. He thought that in his position he would have no worries, yet here he waited for a dozen men to jump him with killing curses.

Instead, the bricks in the wall began to part, like Diagon Alley. They finished parting to reveal a dark hovel that seemed to mock a classic American restaurant, complete with booth seats and metallic tables. Goblins, humans, cyclopes, and several other creatures populated the secluded bar. Harry entered slowly, wondering if all eyes were on him as he feared.

Harry took a seat at the bar. The bartender, a goblin, approached him.

“What’ll be?” he asked in a thick Brooklyn accent.

“Actually, I’m looking for a friend of mine.” Harry pulled out a picture of Lucius and handed it to the bartender. “Have you seen him?”

The bartender grimaced, “Yeah, I have. This guy’s been coming in here at least once a week.”

“Drinking?” Harry asked.

The bartender scoffed. “I wish. He comes in here and rants to my patrons about a ‘new world on the horizon’ that we ‘must join.’ I’ve been running this bar since my dad died and this guy is pushing out all the regulars.”

Harry paled. This didn’t sound like a fun getaway. “Did he say how to join?” he asked.

The bartender scoffed again. “Don’t tell me you’re going to join him, too?”

“I’d like to know where he’s going to be, at least,” Harry answered.

The bartender grimaced and reached under the bar. “He passed out a bunch of these business cards with an address on them. Said this would be the first meeting of a new age. I threw most of them out, but there might be one in here- ah!” The bartender stood straight and handed Harry a card. It was a blank white card, with only an address, date, and time written on it.

_New York Harbor_

_December 16, 2025_

_9:00 pm_

“It’s a little sparse on the details,” Harry commented.

The bartender shrugged. “I’m not his manager. Guess he figured whoever had it would know what to do with it. So, you going to buy something?”

Harry didn’t look up from the card as he answered, “yeah, water.” The bartender walked off to grab something while Harry continued contemplating the information. Lucius was gathering an army, it seemed. But Lucius was never a leader like this, only doing the bidding of Lord Voldemort. Something had changed. And it could bring disastrous consequences.

The bartender brought Harry his drink. He drank it, sat silently to avoid suspicion, then left the Blind Pig.


	6. KATNISS

The next week was a blur. Barely aware of her surrounding, Katniss could at least tell she was moved from her spot in the forest to… somewhere. She saw the faces of Peeta, Willow, and Rye, but couldn’t tell if these were real or not real. When she was awake, she felt a burning pain before the morphling set in, bringing back uncomfortable memories.

After a week of this, it seemed that fate still had more in mind for Katniss Everdeen. Her awakening was slow, but on the eighth day she managed to regain full consciousness. The doctors talked of how lucky she was. They weren’t the nearby village doctors she remembered. Some were familiar, if only fifteen years older than when she’d last seen them.

The day gave Katniss little time to herself. Doctors flew in and out of the room, asking questions and sticking in needles. None of this mattered to Katniss, though. Every person who came in, she asked about Peeta, Willow, and Rye. Were they okay? Did they survive? Everyone assured her they were just fine, if a little shaken up, but she continued to ask. She wouldn’t believe it until she saw them with her own eyes.

Katniss heard their footsteps before they entered the room. Willow and Rye raced in, excitedly shouting “Mommy!” as they approached her bedside. She tensed as she expected one of them to jump up, but Willow managed to hold Rye back. Peeta entered a few seconds after them, also apprehensively watching Rye’s attempts to climb on the bed. He approached Katniss and kissed her forehead.

“Hey,” he whispered, “how you feel?”

“Oh, you know,” she smirked. “I’ve been worse. Can’t think of an example, though.”

Peeta smiled, trying to maintain a sense of calm, but Katniss could see the worry in his eyes.

“I’m fine. Really,” she added.

Willow and Rye told Katniss everything she’d missed while she was unconscious, about how they’d been taken to a safehouse, met some nice officers from the village who asked them about the day, and they got to miss school. Rye was especially excited about that last part, though Willow expressed her misgivings.

“Imagine all the things I missed!” Willow shouted.

A voice replied, “Ah, I’m sure your parents have taught you everything.”

Katniss and Peeta turned to the doorway. Haymitch leaned in, a similarly worried smirk on his face. Willow and Rye ran to him, shouting “Uncle Haymitch!” He leaned down and hugged them as they jumped on top of him. Katniss felt even more relieved they had not jumped on her.

With the greetings out of the way, Haymitch began walking back to the door. “I’ll be out here when you’re finished.”

Haymitch stepped outside. Katniss turned to her husband. “Peeta? Why don’t you get them something to eat? They must be hungry.”

The children immediately began listing off potential eateries and running around the room. The worried look in Peeta’s eyes returned.

“I’ll tell you everything,” she answered. Peeta sighed, then led the kids out of the room. Haymitch reappeared.

“How’re you doing, love?” Haymitch asked.

“I’ve been better,” she answered. She waited, but Haymitch didn’t say anything. “Did you just come to check on me?”

“Of course I came to check on you!” Haymitch answered. “You’re still my star pupil.”

Katniss gave him a look. Haymitch’s cheery exterior faltered.

“Yeah, there’s more. I told them I wanted to be the one to tell you.”

“Them?” Katniss asked.

Haymitch waved a hand. “Yeah, uh, Paylor, the Senate, the war council-”

“The _what?_ ” Katniss shouted, shocking Haymitch to attention. “What do you mean ‘war council’?”

Haymitch chuckled humorlessly. “There’s another war, love.”

Katniss felt her stomach lurch, nausea overtake her. He had to be joking. She wanted to claw his face again, because how could he play such a cruel prank?

She managed to get out, “…a war?”

Haymitch nodded. “After the last one, there were a couple of Capitol leaders unaccounted for. They were going to look for them, but then Coin-” He paused, picked his words carefully, then continued, “after Coin fell, there was chaos. Those Capitol leaders were just assumed to have died. A few months ago, an army formed on the northern border and attacked the districts there. They’re in the former District 2 as we speak. Most of the fight’s been kept there, but…”

Haymitch’s voice trailed off, but Katniss knew what he was about to say. “The lion,” she said. “The Capitol sent it, didn’t they?”

“We don’t know where they got the resources from,” Haymitch answered. “They’ve gotten new monsters, new weapons, and more soldiers to fight. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“And you’ve known this whole time?” Katniss shouted. “And didn’t think to tell me? You had to have known they’d come after me!”

“Some of the council still remembers that day, love,” he countered. “They didn’t think you could handle the stress.”

_Stress_. Katniss wasn’t present for her trial, but she’d seen the recording. Dr. Aurelius had thrown that word and “insane” around plenty of times. She hadn’t called the good doctor for a therapy session in a while, but she never felt they were productive anyway.

“And you just wanted me to find out by waiting for the Capitol to knock on my front door and shoot me in the face?” Katniss asked.

“The plan was for them not to get past the border,” Haymitch elaborated. “For what it’s worth, Paylor and I don’t think you’re stark-raving mad.”

“What a compliment,” Katniss said flatly.

“I’m sorry.”

The words stopped Katniss cold. “You never apologize.”

“I’ve been trying a new thing,” he answered.

Katniss fell silent, processing what she’d been told. “When do I fight?”

“Sorry?” Haymitch asked.

“There are monsters threatening me and my family, and they’ve gotten new ones to fight for them. I’m not going to sit back and wait for them to come to me.”

Haymitch let out another humorless chuckle. “I was afraid you’d say that. I’ll talk to Paylor and put in a good word for you. There’s just one more thing you need to know.”

“What’s that?”

“The new leader of the Capitol…” Haymitch trailed off.

“Who’s their leader?” Katniss asked.

“It’s Romulus Thread.”

In his brief time as Chief Peacekeeper of the former District 12, Romulus Thread killed dozens in the name of the Capitol and maimed Gale right before her eyes. With him as their leader, it was a wonder no one had tried to kill her sooner. With him, Katniss truly had no choice.

She was going to fight.


	7. PERCY

It wasn’t exactly a “dark and stormy night”, but Percy could tell there were remnants of a far-off hurricane lingering in the air that night. He and Annabeth were parked a safe distance away from the alleged warehouse. Tyson claimed this was where he and others felt the pull, and coupled with the business card he provided, it seemed like an obvious pick.

Annabeth maintained a constant vigilance while Percy had reclined his chair back a little bit to get into a comfortable position.

“Any sign?” Annabeth asked.

“Nope,” Percy answered. He was keeping an eye out, but like he said, nothing out of the ordinary had appeared.

“We’re sure this is the right place?” Annabeth asked.

Percy pulled out the business card. “New York Harbor, December 16, 9:00pm. This place was abandoned after Triumvirate collapsed, and like you said, would be a nice place for monsters to meet.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Annabeth muttered. She opened up a packet of chips and begin gnawing on them. “I want to talk about earlier.”

“What do you mean?” Percy asked.

“When you walked off and sulked in the Poseidon cabin,” Annabeth said. “Why’d you go there?”

“I don’t think now’s a really good time,” Percy protested.

“They’re not going to be here for at least a few minutes,” Annabeth countered. “And I’m worried about you.”

Percy sighed. Annabeth kept giving him that look she gave when he knew she wasn’t going to quit. Finally, he said, “I’m tired.”

“It’s only eight forty-five-”

“No, not like I need to sleep,” Percy said. “I mean this.” He gestured around him. “Getting hunted, almost dying, never getting the chance to rest.”

“I’m a demigod, too, Percy. I know what you mean.”

“No, you don’t,” Percy said. “I know things haven’t been easy for you, but at least among demigods you’re still a demigod. Me? I’m the guy whose entire life was the subject of a prophecy. Then just when I think I’m done, another one pops up and takes me away from everything.”

Percy grabbed Annabeth’s hand. “You were the only thing I remembered while the rest of my life got taken away.”

“You came back, though,” Annabeth said.

“Only after nearly dying, traveling through Tartarus, almost losing you _multiple_ times,” he reminded her. “And my family, the people I care about, have only grown since then. Estelle, Leo, your cousin.” He paused. “And then there’s Jason.”

Jason Grace. His sister was Annabeth and Percy’s friend Thalia Grace, her a child of Zeus and him a child of Jupiter. Their blood relationship was complicated, but Jason had been one of the Seven to defeat Gaea ten years ago. Afterwards, Jason went on an adventure with the newly mortal Apollo. He only died after a long and brutal battle against Caligula.

“My dad may be immortal, but Jason reminded I’m not- we’re not,” he said. “I don’t want to suffer any more because the gods said so.”

Annabeth turned away to contemplate his words, then leaned forward in her chair. Percy followed her gaze. A small army of monsters and cloaked humans were approaching the warehouse. Its large doors pulled open, hidden behind the walls. The army entered through.

“Stay here,” Percy said, then leapt from the car before she had time to argue. He darted across the field as the monsters filed into the warehouse and the doors began to close. Just as they did, Percy slipped through them as a loud thud echoed.

Luckily for him, the monsters hadn’t noticed Percy Jackson standing by the doors yet. A few demigods stood around the area, which Percy assumed masked his scent. The warehouse was a huge area, with several large wooden crates and catwalks. Percy picked the nearest crate and hid behind it.

Percy watched one group of cloaked men identical to Tyson’s descriptions. They seemed to be normal humans, but their faces were covered by strange masks, silvery with no mouths. They could definitely speak, though, but their words made no sense. One pulled up his arm to the amazement of the others, which Percy decided was enough for him.

As he walked away, the room began to quiet down. Percy took out Riptide in its pen form, believing he had been caught. But all eyes were pointed away from toward an assembly of crates almost like a stage. Four figures in white suits with helmets covering their faces stood on the stage, two on either side. In the middle stepped a fifth black-cloaked, masked man, who raised his hands toward his audience in an attempt to calm them down. After a brief period, they silenced.

“I see that many of you have gotten our message,” the man said. “Many of you have had to lay low as a result of events ten or twenty years ago. I am here to inform you that your days of hiding are over.”

The man sounded… familiar, to Percy. Not really in his voice, but in the way he spoke. It made him uneasy, so Percy continued wandering around the warehouse, avoiding the wandering gazes of the creatures.

“Times are changing, my friends. Events are already in motion, and you must choose whether you will survive it.”

“Many of you may be wondering why you felt such a pull to come here, or who I am to tell you what this world is to become. Let me say, I am the lord of time, so take my word when I say who I serve is destined to change everything.”

Percy’s blood ran cold. The monsters in the room murmuring, the demigods panicking, and the masked men seemed almost confused. But Percy knew it before the man confirmed it.

“I AM KRONOS!” He yelled, vibrating the whole warehouse. “Reborn to show you the truth! Join us, and together, we will rebirth the world!” Kronos shot his arms up in the air, to the thunderous applause of those in the room.

Percy wanted to puke, and began racing around, trying to find an exit. Unfortunately, he didn’t notice the man standing behind the boxes as well and rammed straight into him. Acting quickly, Percy pulled out Riptide in pen form and held it to the neck of the man, who responded by holding a patterned stick to Percy’s throat.


	8. HARRY

Harry only had a few hours to prepare before the time of the alleged meeting. His only plan involved sneaking and hoping for the best. Of course, his plans had always gone to hell when he was a kid, but he was nearly forty now. Surely, he could come up with a much more airtight plan than those, as he had in the decades since.

He sat on his hotel room bed, realizing he really couldn’t. He was all alone, without the resources of the department to back him up. He had done more with less, but even then, he still had his friends with him. Hermione was Minister for Magic and Ron was busy with Weasley’s Wizard’s Wheezes, so all he had with him were the clothes on his back and his wand.

A full assault was probably not a good idea.

At around 8:30, Harry had left his hotel room and caught a taxi to New York Harbor. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement had given some currency in American dollars, and since he wasn’t actually sure where New York Harbor was, it was helpful to have someone who did. Once he arrived, he paid his fare and stepped out of the cab.

The harbor itself wasn’t too bad. It was dark, which probably didn’t help, but Harry could feel an air of foreboding coming from the harbor. Harry took out his invisibility cloak and wrapped himself in it before walking into the harbor. Everything seemed quiet, not a soul to be seen. But Harry still felt that sense of foreboding as he pressed on.

After a few minutes, something caught Harry’s eye. A car, the only one he’d seen, parked in what appeared to be the middle of nowhere. He approached it apprehensively, stopping just a few inches away from it. Inside, he could see a man and a woman, neither of them older than their twenties, talking in hushed voices.

They had to be guarding something, so Harry was in the right place. Their eyes darted to a warehouse a few meters away, so Harry began walking there. He stood in front of the large doors, wondering how he’d get in when they started to open. He backed up but realized there was no way they’d seen him. He turned and saw who they’d opened for. A huge army made of monsters and men marched around him.

In the crowd, Harry spotted people dressed as Death Eaters.

With a horrified curiosity, Harry followed the crowd inside, gazing with awe and fear at the variety of beings that surrounded him, many of which he didn’t recognize. He’d have to ask Hermione at some point. One, a man with one eye, began sniffing the air. His friend noticed.

“What is it?” he asked.

“I smell something strange,” he said.

“We are surrounded by all sorts of things, Argus, there is no point,” replied his friend. Still, Harry took this as a sign and moved away from the crowd behind some crates. As the crowd finished filling in and the doors closed, Harry took the time to walk around. It seemed to be a normal warehouse, with catwalks, crates, and other miscellaneous objects. In the distance, Harry could see those Death Eaters showing their tattoos to each other. But they were crude and non-magical, he could see that. Like pretenders. He grimaced under his robe as he continued to an assembly of crates like a stage. Behind them stood four men in white armor and another Death Eater.

Harry stopped dead, resisting the urge to hide or flee. This couldn’t be happening; they couldn’t be reassembling! Nothing could be worse than that!

Then Lucius, the Death Eater, turned around, his face visible to Harry, but he didn’t seem to notice. A shocked Harry began to approach but stepped no further. Something was different about Lucius. Harry hadn’t seen him all that often in the past twenty years, but something was different about him. There was a power around him that hadn’t been there before. A smirk that betrayed a level of arrogance Harry hadn’t seen.

Truly, though, it was his eyes. At just the right light, they flashed an inhuman color that pained Harry to look at. Luckily for him, Lucius donned a mask, conjuring it with his wand. The four men in white stepped up on stage, with Lucius following them soon after. Harry took the opportunity to move past the “stage” and continue his observations.

“I see that many of you have gotten our message,” Lucius said. “Many of you have had to lay low as a result of events ten or twenty years ago. I am here to inform you that your days of hiding are over.”

Harry heard him but didn’t truly process his words. How could Lucius do this? The Malfoys had given so much effort to redeem themselves in the eyes of the law, and now he was doing this?

“Times are changing, my friends. Events are already in motion, and you must choose whether you will survive it.”

None of this made any sense.

“Many of you may be wondering why you felt such a pull to come here, or who I am to tell you what this world is to become. Let me say, I am the lord of time, so take my word when I say who I serve is destined to change everything.”

_Wait, what?_

“I am Kronos, reborn to show you the truth. Join us, and together, we will rebirth the world!” Lucius shot his arms up in the air, to the thunderous applause of those in the room.

Who the hell was Kronos?

Harry took off the cloak, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. That was when someone rammed into him. Responding quickly, Harry pulled out his wand and pointed it at the throat of his attacker, who responded by pointing a pen at his throat. Harry recognized him as the man from the car.

“Is that a stick?” the attacker asked.

“Is that a pen?” Harry responded. Now he was more confused than before, the situation at its most absurd limit.

As if reality itself decided to contradict this assessment, in the middle of the crowd, a woman spontaneously appeared in the air and fell to the ground.


	9. KATNISS

“Are you sure about this?”

Peeta had asked that question about a dozen times, and each time Katniss said she was. It was a lie, but she couldn’t afford doubt right now. When he asked that question, a few weeks after she had recovered and the night before she was to leave, she kept to the lie.

“Yes,” she said. “I’m sure.”

They both were in bed, in a New Panem-controlled safehouse. Willow and Rye were on the floor, sound asleep. Not because they didn’t have a room; they just didn’t want to be far from Mom and Dad.

“They’ll miss you, you know,” Peeta whispered, grabbing her hand. “I’ll miss you.”

She slipped her hand from his and lay down. “I don’t want to, Peeta. But I have to. The Capitol has always had a target on me, and Thread is not going to let Snow down.”

Peeta sighed, leaning back with her. “Snow’s been dead for years.”

“I don’t think he cares,” she replied. “In his thankfully brief stint as Head Peacekeeper, you saw what he did. Then he sent a giant lion after us…” She let that hang in the air.

“We’re in a safehouse now, protected.”

“Not for long,” Katniss answered. She draped an arm over Peeta. “I’m sorry. I really am. I need to do this.”

Peeta put his head against hers gently. “Just come back. For me-” his eyes darted to Willow and Rye- “and for them.”

Katniss pressed her lips against his. “I promise.”

The two of them kept against each other as they fell asleep. In the morning, Katniss slipped out of the house, careful not to wake anyone as she left.

…

Upon her arrival, Katniss was asked to meet with New Panem’s technician to be equipped and shown the latest technology. Their local technician happened to be Beetee, Katniss’s ally during the 75th Hunger Games and the Second Rebellion. This had been the first time she had seen him since her trial. She’d decided not to contact him or, more importantly at the time, Gale, her teenage lover from the days of District 12.

She sat across from Beetee, who was performing maintenance on her bow in his makeshift lab. He smiled as he refurbished it.

“It’s been a while since you’ve used this,” he said. “Must have been nice.”

Katniss didn’t respond, choosing instead to play with the various devices Beetee had left on his table. Most of them were tools, she figured, but it was indecipherable to her.

The door to the lab opened. Katniss looked up to see a tall, dark-skinned man enter the room. He carried a sense of officiality to him, and though he was older, Katniss could tell he kept his wits about him.

“You must be Ms. Everdeen. I heard a lot about you during the war,” he said.

“I can imagine,” she said.

“I’m your Commander, Amos Bell.” He extended a hand toward Katniss, then let it drop after a moment. “I trust you know how to handle a weapon.”

Katniss motioned to her bow, which Beetee continued working on.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather use a gun?” Bell asked. “It’s a faster reload time, let’s you aim better-”

Beetee spoke without looking up, “oh, trust me, commander. You’ll want her to use her bow.”

After a pause, Bell nodded. “You know her better than I do,” he said. He extended his hand again. This time Katniss shook it. Bell left the room.

He passed her the bow. “I’m with you, Mockingjay.”

Katniss stood and left the lab without a word.

…

“Move!”

Katniss grabbed the soldier and pulled him out of the way, just before a bullet tore through the air. Both fell to the ground, the sounds of battle whizzing about them. The soldier got up and returned to battle as Katniss found cover.

It was a strange experience, to be back on the battlefield as a normal soldier. When she was the Mockingjay, she was given premiere status, guarded by everyone around her and rarely allowed to leave the eyes of her protectors.

Now she was another soldier. Most would miss that protection, fearing for their lives as enemies rained hell upon them with their companions focused on things other than him. Katniss was almost grateful.

She leaned over her cover and fired an arrow into an opposing soldier, sending him to the ground. She went back down, reloading her bow before firing another arrow into another hostile from a few miles away. Soldiers around her charged across the enemy’s line, firing their guns at the few remaining hostiles. She joined them with an arrow prepped in her bow.

By the time she arrived, though, it was over. The hostiles kneeled on the ground, weapons scattered. Bell surveyed his team of soldiers lifting them one by one and taking them away.

“Good job, men,” he said. “We’re well on our way to District 2.”

Most of the big picture events Katniss left Bell. She helped set up camp over the former battlefield and kept watch once things were all set. While the others talked about battle, Katniss looked out over the barren fields.

District 2, once the most loyal region to the Capitol now lay in disarray. The district titles had been done away with after the Second Rebellion, yet the areas still resembled their former selves. The people in the former District 2 still looked like how one would expect them to look. Katniss could see Cato and Clove in many faces.

She pulled a folded picture out of her pocket. In it, a weary Katniss held a newborn Rye in her arms while Peeta and Willow leaned over the side, both with wide smiles. Katniss always pointed out how tired she looked, which Peeta said was a “glow.”

Another soldier approached Katniss to relieve her of watch duty. She didn’t challenge him, just left for her tent and collapsed into the mat and gripping the gun under her pillow. Within a few moments, she was asleep, dreaming of the meadow.

…

_BOOM!_

Katniss’s eyes flashed open. She was used to the loud noises of the base, so she wasn’t immediately suspicious. Without moving, her eyes flashed outside of the tent. It was still dark outside. What would they be doing? Then another noise tore through the air- Gunfire. They were under attack.

Katniss chided herself for foolishly thinking otherwise. She reached for her bow.

A voice interrupted, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Katniss’s hand stopped just an inch away from her bow. She dared not move, because she recognized the voice. Faint, because she had only heard it briefly.

“Turn around.”

Slowly, she did as she was asked. She turned to face Romulus Thread, standing at the foot of her bed. Memories of the whipping post, a decade and a half ago, came flooding back. It was almost like he hadn’t changed in the years since they’d last met. Only his eyes seemed to change, somehow more… inhuman. That and the gun clutched in his hand.

“Well,” he said, “the Girl on Fire.”

Katniss’s eyes flashed again to her bow.

“Don’t try it, girl on fire,” he snarled. “Even if you managed to grab it before I shot you, you’re facing my army out there.” A look of fearful realization flashed across her face, which made Thread smile. “Yes, I think it should only be a few minutes more before we’ve taken them all.”

A roar echoed from outside the tent. Katniss flinched. “What-?”

“Was that?” He finished. “I’m sure you’ll find out.” Thread stepped closer, leaning into Katniss. “I told them to leave us alone, though. I wanted to see you for myself.”

Katniss pushed back against the edge of the tent as Thread stepped closer still. “The face of the rebellion, hm?”

Katniss grabbed the pillow and threw it in his face. A temporary distraction, one both knew wouldn’t last long. It didn’t matter. Katniss grabbed the gun hidden beneath it and raised it to Thread. Without a second thought, she fired.

Thread lunged, but not quickly enough. The bullet pierced his shoulder. He knocked the gun out of her hand before gripping his wound. She tackled him, both falling to the ground. Thread’s gun skittered across the floor, along with another small, metallic device. Katniss picked up both and held the gun to Thread as he stood.

“Now, girl on fire,” he said. “Don’t do anything you might-”

Katniss fired a round into his chest. Thread lurched backward, but she didn’t stick around to see the aftermath. She exited the tent.

It was absolute chaos. Her comrades fired wildly against the enemy soldiers, but that wasn’t the issue. What could only be described as monsters roamed the field, preying on those unfortunate enough to be in their path. Horrid snake creatures grabbed soldiers with long tails and choked the life out of them, ignoring their bullets. Living storms tore up tanks and buildings and threw them back down like paper.

It wasn’t a battle. It was a massacre.

Katniss turned around, unable to take the sight much longer. The border of camp lay a few feet away, perhaps she could make it. Romulus Thread stepped from the tent. Katniss stumbled back as he moved forward, almost uncaring of the bullet wounds.

Around her, more monsters and soldiers began closing in. No escape. No way out.

She looked to the weapons in her hand. A gun, and the strange object she’d found on Thread. What was it? A grenade? A hologram?

It didn’t matter, really. She began trying to activate it.

Thread ran toward her. “No! You don’t know what-”

Too late for him. Katniss activated the device. And in the blink of an eye, she vanished from the battlefield.

…

Katniss felt like she was floating through the air. All around her, a blue haze had enveloped her. She had no body, just her mind floating through the light.

Then, all at once, she had a body, floating in the air before she fell to the ground. Katniss landed on hard cement. She was sure she had cut something open. She stood slowly, trying to take in her surroundings through her hazy state of mind.

Men and women in strange cloaks stood around her as well as creatures from legends of old, things she didn’t even know the name of, offended by her presence. Things with one eye, with a hundred, with tentacles. She froze, unsure of what to do.

On a stage made of crates, a strange man pointed at her with a stick in his hand.

“Grab her.”


	10. PERCY

A half dozen of the men in strange masks grabbed the woman and lifted her to her feet. Kronos stepped down from the stage, eyeing the woman.

“Who are you?” he asked. The woman struggled against the men holding her, to little effect. Kronos laughed.

“I doubt you’ll break free at this point,” he said. “Kill her.” He stepped away as the woman continued struggling against the soldiers

Percy turned to the bespectacled man holding a stick to his throat. He was still staring at the scene with same look Percy had. He was trying to figure out how to rescue the woman.

“So,” Percy said, bringing the man’s attention to him, “you’re not with them, are you?”

“No,” the apparently British man answered. “You as well?”

“Nope.”

"Should we go rescue her, then?”

“Yep.”

“On my signal.”

The bespectacled Brit turned his stick to the stage. He shouted, “ _Reducto!_ ”

Before Percy could ask what this meant, a beam shot from the stick. The stage exploded in an awesome spectacle of light and fire. The men holding the woman turned their attention from her to the stage. The crowd exploded into chaos, attempting to flee or find those responsible.

“GO!” The bespectacled Brit shouted. He charged into the crowd, with Percy quickly following.

Percy shoved and was shoved by several monsters and strange men trying to find the exit. Some he recognized as demigods, others as Greek monsters, but the men in masks still eluded him. Over the roar, he could hear Kronos trying to establish order, to no avail.

Percy reached the woman first. Four of the men already lay on the ground, bloody stab wounds in various spots on their bodies. The woman wasn’t finished yet, using her arrows to stab one in the chest. He fell with the arrow as she elbowed the last man in the face, cracking his mask. He recoiled in pain, followed by collapsing when the woman kicked him in the groin. As she stood over her victim, Percy approached.

“Hey!” he shouted.

He quickly realized this was a poor choice when she pulled another arrow out of her quiver and pointed it at Percy. He raised his hands in surrender.

“I’m here to help!” he yelled, praying to the gods she could hear him.

“And who are you, exactly?” she asked.

The bespectacled Brit finally pushed his way through the crowd and joined the duo.

“Right now? Your best option,” he said.

She considered for a moment. Then, hesitantly, she lowered her bow. “What’s your plan?”

“SILENCE!”

The room snapped to a dead quiet. The people parted in front of the trio, moving one by one to reveal Kronos.

He removed his mask, revealed a greasy blonde man, about seventy years old if he had to guess. But he moved with a grace unbecoming of a man his age. His eyes, too. They sent chills down Percy’s spine. Much like last time.

“Percy Jackson…” Kronos snarled. He didn’t say it loudly, yet Percy felt it could be heard for miles. He wanted to run, flee from the _thing_ that had taken his childhood. Instead he stood frozen to the spot.

“Lucius!” the Brit called out. “What are you doing?!”

Kronos looked to him with a look of annoyed confusion. “He’s not here right now. And I’m afraid you won’t have enough time to see him. Bring me the demigod. Kill the other two.”

Kronos snapped his fingers. The army closed ranks around them. Percy raised his sword. The Brit took out his stick. And the woman armed herself with a bow and arrow.

“ _Protego Maxima!”_ The Brit shouted and waved his stick. Percy felt a _woosh_ of energy encircle the trio.

It didn’t matter. The army ran full speed at Percy. He raised his sword, ready to defend. The first soldier stepped forward-

-and promptly smacked into an invisible wall and collapsed to the ground, followed by half a dozen others.

Percy stood confused for a moment, before turning back to the Brit and the woman, the latter equally confused. The Brit held his stick in the air, seeming to sustain the barrier.

“Hey, Brit, is this you?” Percy asked.

“Yes, but I can’t hold it for long!” he shouted back.

“This doesn’t seem like that great a plan!” The woman was pointing her arrow at the army surrounding them but couldn’t see to pick a particular target.

“How much longer do you have on that?” Percy asked.

“A minute?” the Brit answered. “Maybe more. Why?”

But Percy ignored the question. He closed his eyes, opened his palms, and concentrated. The world bled away, the army, their roars, the sounds of the shield cracking under pressure. All of it gone. In its place, just a few kilometers away, all Percy could hear was the calm sound of the ocean. He closed his fist.

Nothing happened. The Brit and the woman stared at him, confused and a little worried.

“What’s your friend doing?” the woman asked,

“I’ve only known him about sixty seconds longer than you have,” the Brit answered.

_CRASH!_

A huge wave burst through the wall of the warehouse. It rose twenty feet above the ground, washing away all those in its path. Several wizards cast shields to protect themselves, though many fell to the wave’s pressure. The Brit’s shield, however, held against it. Even if it hadn’t, Percy was more than able to diverge the wave.

“Alright, we should be good to go,” he said with a smile. Percy relaxed and the water retreated back to the harbor, leaving behind stunned enemies. The Brit and the woman didn’t move, instead staring at Percy with looks of shock and mild terror.

“You did that?” the Brit asked.

“Yeah. Shouldn’t we get going?” Percy reminded them. Both of them quickly remembered where they were and snapped to attention. The shield came down, followed by the trio racing through the warehouse and out the doors.


	11. HARRY

The three of them stood outside the doors, staring at the washed-up monsters and Neo Death Eaters. They’d be up soon, sooner than they could flee. He began an attempt to apparate, not because he was going to leave, but just to see if he could. As he feared, an anti-apparation charm had been placed on the area. Whoever this Kronos was, he covered his bases.

“We need to move quickly,” Harry said, “they’ll wake up soon.”

“This way!” said the young man. He charged off, screaming “Annabeth!” as he went.

The woman looked at Harry. “What is he doing?” she asked.

“Hopefully, giving us an escape,” Harry answered.

He and the woman followed the young man. Just as they caught up, Harry felt a shove from his right side, as he fell to the ground. He stood quickly, his wand out.

A human skeleton with a sword and armor stood before him, somehow contorting its face in anger.

“ _Stupefy!_ ” Harry shouted. A red beam shot from his wand and into the skeleton. The skeleton stood, uncaring of the spell. Quickly, Harry added, “ _Reducto!_ ” The metal armor the creature was wearing exploded, sending its bones scattering.

A car zipped through the harbor, running over another group of bird-like people before screeching to a stop in front of Harry and the others. Inside the small blue car was a woman roughly the same age as the young man.

“Get in!” she yelled. Harry climbed in the back seat with the woman with the bow and arrow, while the young man sat up front.

“Percy?” she asked the young man. “Who are they?”

“Uh…” he answered. “Not enemies, I think. We need to go, now.”

The car sped off through the harbor.

“I take it you two are Annabeth and Percy?” Harry asked.

“You’d be right,” Percy said. “What about you two?”

“Harry Potter,” Harry answered, then waited expectantly, to Percy’s confusion.

Percy said, “Should I know the name?”

“Well it was a whole thing in the wizarding community,” Harry said.

“Is that a Comic-Con thing?” Percy asked.

“What’s Comic-Con?”

Percy shrugged this off and turned to the woman. “And what about you?”

The woman was not focused on the painful conversations inside, instead choosing to mutter “shit” under her breath.

“Bit of an odd name,” Percy commented.

“Those things are following us!” she said. Harry looked out the back. A horde of monsters were trampling after them, quickly gaining on them. Beside them were legions of black vans out of which poked Neo Death Eaters and the men in white. Gunshots and spells ripped through the air, all of them aiming for the small blue car.

“Peacekeepers,” the woman muttered.

“Sorry?” Harry asked. But she ignored him, instead opening the sunroof and arming herself. Out the rear window, Harry saw an arrow strike through a van’s windshield, explode, and send the flaming wreckage tumbling. Those inside stumbled out, injured but alive.

“Annabeth, can you go any faster?” Percy asked.

“You’re the one who wanted a cheap car!” she yelled back. Harry stood out of the sunroof next to the woman, aiming his own wand and yelling out spells.

Harry launched a stunning spell at a large dog close to the car. It recoiled, but after a moment continued its pursuit. Harry launched another stunning spell, and another, until finally the beast went down.

“The creatures aren’t going down with a stunning spell,” Harry said indignantly.

The woman fired another arrow, causing a Neo Death Eater to fall out of the van, before saying to Harry, “sorry, did you say ‘spell’? As in magic?”

“Yes?” Harry said.

“Magic is real?” she asked.

A Neo Death Eater appeared in a plume of black smoke on the back of the car, clinging with his wand in his mouth. He reached forward and grabbed the woman by the arm. Harry elbowed him in the face, causing him to lose his grip, fall to the ground, and be trampled by monsters and men.

“Honestly, I feel like the question answers itself at this point.”

Harry and the woman continued their defense, shooting arrows and spells and casting the occasional shield. The monsters, Neo Death Eaters, and Peacekeepers, however, continued their bloodthirsty pursuit unaffected.

Three winged women flew past the car, swiping at the duo with their talons. Harry fired off a stunning spell, causing one to fall to the ground. Another went beside the car and smashed through the window.

From below, Harry heard Percy yell, “Shit! A harpy!” followed by repeated stabbing noises. What was apparently a harpy flew out of the car lazily, before hitting the ground and disappearing in a puff of smoke.

The third harpy grabbed Katniss by the shoulders and attempted to lift her into the air. Katniss gripped an arrow from her quiver and stabbed the harpy in the leg. It dropped her and flew off.

“We’re almost there!” Annabeth shouted. Quickly approaching was the black gate separating the New York Harbor from the rest of the city.

A black van pulled up next to the car, vastly dwarfing the puny vehicle. Its side door opened to reveal four men in white, Peacekeepers as the woman had called them. One of the Peacekeepers kneeled on the floor of the van, holding a large weapon. Harry didn’t much experience with Muggle weapons in the wizarding world, but he’d gotten enough experience to understand that was a rocket launcher.

“ _Stupefy!_ ” He shouted. A red beam hit the man with rocket launcher. He collapsed, but not before pulling the trigger. The rocket flew from its shooter, giving Harry and the woman little time to duck as the car swerved in shock. The projectile flew for a while before landing on a bull-headed monster, causing it to collapse in a fiery blaze.

“Hang on!” Annabeth shouted. The car flew through the gates, while their pursuers stayed behind, watching them make their getaway.

“I think we’re clear!” the woman shouted.

Both collapsed in the back seat. Harry realized he’d been holding his breath and let out a long sigh of relief.

“So, shit, you said your name was?” Percy said with a smile to the woman.

The woman gave him a look that Harry had seen Hermione give him many times in school. The “I-could-break-you-in-two-if-I-wanted-to” stare. Percy’s smile faded.

“It’s Katniss,” she said.

“Alright, Katniss,” Harry continued. “Would you mind telling us how you got here?”

“I could ask the same about you,” she said. “What was going on in there?”

Percy turned to Annabeth. “I think we’ve passed the point of secrecy.”

“I figured the flooding was your fault,” she answered.

Percy turned to the duo. “My name is Percy Jackson. I’m the son of Poseidon, from Greek mythology. Everything you’ve heard from there- it’s real.”

A pause. Katniss asked, “Greek what?” Everyone looked at Katniss like she asked a stupid question.

“Look, I don’t even know where I am right now, so excuse me for not knowing some obscure stories,” she added indignantly.

Harry said, “You’re in the New York City.” No flash of recognition from her. He added, “In the United States?”

That got a response. “That’s impossible.”

“I feel like we’ve passed that point,” Percy said.

“The United States has been gone for hundreds of years,” she said. “I can’t be here.”

Harry and Percy looked at each other, both a little unnerved by this.

“I can assure you,” Harry said, “America’s still here.”

“It can’t be,” she responded. “I’m from Panem, built where the United States once was. We’re in a war with the old government, and that’s what I was doing when I grabbed this.” She pulled out a small device. “This is what I used before I appeared in that warehouse.”

Harry grabbed the device from her hand, ignoring her dissent. He knew what it was.

“You can’t have this,” he said. “They’re all destroyed.”

Annabeth looked in the rearview mirror and noticed Harry’s look of concern. “What is it?” She asked. Harry paused, trying to say the words that would make Katniss’s words true.

“It’s a time turner.”


	12. KATNISS

The car was silent. Everyone spent that silence figuring out what Harry meant by time turner, though it’s use as a time machine became clear quickly.

Katniss didn’t want to believe it, but in the course of an hour she’d seen monsters, wizards, and a living, breathing America. Time travel made just as much sense.

When Percy and Annabeth had figured it out, neither of them spoke. Katniss herself was still trying to figure out the logistics. She hadn’t even been born yet. Hell, her _mother_ hadn’t even been born yet.

Annabeth stopped the car in front of the building. She stepped out as Percy turned to the duo in the back.

“So, uh… Harry, Katniss, was it?” he said. They nodded.

“Well, this is a, uh… safe haven, of sorts,” he continued. “Just follow us.”

She and Harry stepped out of the car. Katniss lingered for a moment to examine the vehicle. Harry stopped a moment after.

“Everything alright?” he asked.

“Yeah, it’s just…” Katniss said. “I’ve never really been in a car before.

“Really?”

“The Capitol outlawed them to citizens, and even after I never bothered to learn to drive.”

She turned to Harry, a look of concern and confusion on his face. If she was in the past, the Capitol also didn’t exist yet. She and Harry followed Percy and Annabeth into the building.

As she walked into the lobby after Harry and Annabeth, she could not help but notice that the other people in there were staring at her. This usually meant an attack, so Katniss prepared to be on the offensive.

Harry noticed and whispered, “They’re only staring because you’re walking around with a deadly weapon.”

“What, are Americans not used to that?” she asked.

Harry paused, then answered, “Well, they are. It’s just yours happens to be a bit odd.”

She relaxed slightly as they joined Percy and Annabeth on the elevator. Percy pushed a button and the elevator closed. The elevator ride was silent, as was the trek from it to the apartment door. Percy inserted a key and opened it.

A small girl, no more than Willow’s age, shouted, “Percy!” then raced toward him. She grabbed him in a hug, before yelling “Annabeth!” and switching over to her in an equally tight hug. Annabeth awkwardly hugged her back as a woman and a man approached them.

“Hey, Mom. Hey, Paul,” Percy said. Their smiles faded upon seeing their bruised son, followed by the bruised visitors.

“Who are your friends?” the mother asked. Katniss noted there was not a hint of malice, spite, or dismay in her voice, like she was trying to find the best way to help them. She wouldn’t be surprised if she started making cookies.

“They’re, uh…” Percy turned to them, then back to her. “Harry and Katniss.”

“Oh, it’s nice to meet you,” she waved. Katniss fumbled the response, while Harry waved back.

“I’m going to use the bathroom,” Annabeth excused herself.

“And I’ve got to put Estelle to bed,” Paul said. At this, Estelle gave a giggle and ran, followed closely by Paul.

“You guys seem like you’re having a rough night,” Percy’s mom judged, fairly in Katniss’s mind. “I could make some cookies.”

“Mom, I’m not twelve,” Percy said unconvincingly. His mother nodded, then moved to the oven.

“Um, you don’t have to, Ms…” Harry started.

“Sally. Sally Jackson. And trust me, you’ll regret it if you don’t try these.” Already, Sally had begun her process.

“She’s not wrong,” Percy shrugged, then motioned them to a sitting area. Katniss took a seat across from the men, the three watching each other uneasily. Katniss stared off, watching Paul chase Estelle around the apartment. She thought back to her own family.

“I have a lot of questions,” Harry started.

“You’re not alone,” Percy said.

“That makes three,” Katniss added.

Silence again.

“I know we’re all having a lively conversation, but maybe we could introduce ourselves,” Harry suggested.

He cleared his throat and continued, pulling out an identification badge. “My name is Harry Potter. I’m with the British Ministry of Magic, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I’m investigating claims of dark wizard gatherings here in the States.”

He passed the badge to Katniss.

“Your picture is moving,” she noted, then passed it to Percy, who let out a cuss word in surprise.

From across the apartment, Sally could be heard, “Language!”

Percy paused sheepishly before continuing, “So what does that mean?”

Harry paused for a moment before answering, “I’m one step below the Minister for Magic.”

“The what?”

“It’s like the president of wizarding Britain.”

“You’re a wizard?”

“You’re not a wizard?”

Percy nodded. “I guess I’ll introduce myself. My name is Percy Jackson. I’m the son of Poseidon.” He waited, then added, “Sorry, I didn’t bring anything to show the class.”

“Like the sea god?” Katniss asked.

“Exactly.”

“The Greek gods are real?” Harry said.

“Do you not know who Hecate is?”

“Well, yeah, but it’s not a big thing to wizards.”

“If you’re the Magic FBI, why didn’t you know about demigods?”

“There’s more of you?!”

“Annabeth’s the daughter of Athena, my best friend is Satyr, and I’m half-convinced my little sister can shadow travel."

Harry gripped the bridge of his nose, his eyes closed and a groan escaping him. He explained, “The wizarding community hasn’t always been one for communication. America’s been a lawless land of magic for decades, so we just tend to ignore it.” Harry leaned back in his chair. “Still, gods.”

Percy leaned back as well. “I mean, I’ve met wizards, but still…”

Katniss stayed the way she was, trying to process the information that had just been thrown around so casually.

Harry sat up straight, eyes on Katniss. “So, what are you then?”

Katniss bit her lip, trying to come up with the right response. “My name is Katniss Everdeen. I was a soldier the Second Rebellion that toppled the Capitol and President Snow.”

Percy interjected, “Yeah, but are you a wizard, demigod… space alien?”

“No, I’m just… human,” she said.

“And you could see all of the magic?” Harry asked. She nodded. Harry continued, “Muggles can’t normally see these sorts of things.”

“Muggles?” she asked.

“Non-magic,” he explained.

“We just say mortals,” Percy added. “Some of them can see through the Mist, the stuff obscuring the… weirder stuff.”

Katniss shook her head. “My country, New Panem, is fighting a war against a Capitol Remnant. They have access to those monsters, and everyone can see them.”

Harry said, “And you’re from the future.” He pulled out the time turner. “That’s why you have this?”

“I guess so,” she said. “Can I have that back?”

“There’s not much of a point,” Harry answered. “It’s broken.”

“ _What?!_ ” Katniss shouted. Sally could be heard dropping the tray. She yanked the time turner from Harry’s hand, tossing it in her palms. It was definitely crushed, still flicking off pieces of glass.

“You must have broken it when you landed,” Percy said.

“You don’t understand,” she tried to control the worry in her voice. “I have a family in my time. A husband, two kids. I have to get back to them.”

Harry leaned closer to her. “I have a family, too. Wife, three kids. Four counting Teddy. Wherever you’re from is tied to whatever the hell was going on in that warehouse. I-” he paused, considering Percy staring at the bathroom- “we can help you. But you need to tell us everything about where you’re from.”

Sally brought over the cookies, smiling. She looked around at the sunken faces of the group, decided it might not be a good time to add anything, then left.

Katniss took a deep breath (and a cookie- they were very good), then began her tale. About the United States being gone for hundreds of years. About District 12. The Capitol. The Hunger Games. Her father’s death in the mines. The Reaping, sacrificing herself for her sister. Killing, maiming, talk shows. The rebellion, the war. Watching her sister be blown to pieces and the men she loved turn against her. Killing the president. She made sure to end on the note of her family, telling them that she received frequent psychiatric visits she definitely took seriously.

For a long while, Harry and Percy sat silently. Then, finally, Percy spoke:

“Well, I need a drink.”


	13. PERCY

Percy tried not to consume alcohol. He didn’t like having his senses dulled; it made him an easy target. But tonight, he made an exception. So did his new companions.

When he returned from the kitchen, he found Harry and Katniss sitting in silence. As they drank, they slowly resumed the conversation.

“You said you pulled this time turner off the Capitol leader, right?” Percy asked.

Katniss nodded. “Romulus Thread. Former Head Peacekeeper of District 12. I thought he died.”

“Maybe whatever’s going on in the warehouse and in the future are connected?” Percy asked.

“It seems so,” Harry answered. “But why campaign in the past?”

"Maybe they’re trying to change the future?” Percy said.

"Time turners don’t work like that, Percy,” Harry explained. “Hell, they don’t even work like this. A journey more than five hours runs the risk of damaging time. Hundreds of years should have killed anyone, unless…” Harry was connecting some dots in his mind.

“Unless what?” Katniss asked.

“Theodore Nott. Former Department of Mysteries employee turned Death Eater. Supposedly he’d been trying to crack the secrets of time turners. Maybe he’s found it in the future.”

“Where is he now?” Percy asked.

“Azkaban,” Harry answered. At their blank glances, he added, “Wizarding equivalent of Alcatraz.” At Katniss’s blank stare, he further added, “Big prison.”

“Is there any way we can break in?” Katniss asked. “Ask him some questions?”

Harry frowned. “I’m the head of the department of magical law enforcement.”

“Oh, yeah,” Katniss said. “Sorry, I’m used to having to break into places.”

“I can leave tomorrow, see Nott, then go from there,” Harry looked to Katniss and Percy. “Right, you two want to come along, then? Normally, I’d go off on my own to face this, but you two seem like you’d try to do the same thing.”

“Seems you’re my best bet on getting home,” Katniss answered.

Percy remained silent. Harry turned to him. “Percy?”

Percy shook his head. “I can’t.”

Harry nodded. “Okay. Katniss can stay at my place tonight, then we’ll leave tomorrow. We’ll need another way across the pond since you likely don’t have a passport.”

“Passport?” Katniss asked. The three of them stood. Harry stuck his hand out. Percy shook it.

“If you change your mind,” Harry said, “we’ll be at the Waldorf Astoria on Park Avenue until tomorrow morning.”

Harry placed a hand on Katniss’s shoulder. Before she could react, they vanished into thin air. Percy wasn’t sure how to react, and neither was his mom.

“You saw that too, right?” she asked.

“Yep,” he answered.

Annabeth exited the bathroom. “Are they gone?”

“Yep,” Percy answered.

“What’s going on, Percy?” Sally asked. “Who were they?”

Percy ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t know,” he said. “Everything’s screwy right now.”

He sat down on the couch and took a deep breath. “Kronos is back.”

The two of them went silent. Annabeth took a seat next to him.

“He can’t be back. Luke-”

“I know what I saw,” Percy said. “And he’s got an army with him. Not just monsters and demigods.”

“What does he have?” Annabeth asked.

“Wizards. Time traveling mercenaries who can see through the Mist, too,” he answered. “That guy was the head of the British Magic FBI. The woman is from a post-apocalyptic future.”

“Like the Walking Dead?” Sally asked.

“More like 1984, I think,” Percy answered.

Annabeth stood. “Okay. I made some calls while I was in there. Put Camp Half-Blood on alert, and I’m getting the word out to Camp Jupiter. Did they say where they were going?”

“They’re heading to Houdini’s Alcatraz or something,” Percy said, knocking back his drink.

“And what about you two?” Sally asked. “Where are you going?”

“We’re staying here.” Percy leaned back.

“What do you mean?” Annabeth narrowed her eyes. “Don’t tell me we’re letting them go off on their own.”

“Why should we have to go with them?” Percy said.

Annabeth simply stared at him. “Do you hear yourself right now?”

Percy stood. “Yeah, I did. I’m done getting us involved in the end of the world! Three times already! All I’ve ever wanted is a normal life! I want to be able to stay somewhere for more than a week without some atrocity coming after us!”

“The camp is depending on us!”

“No! There are other people who can do this! And what that woman described? We’ve already lost! If that’s what’s going to happening, I don’t want to spend it on another gods-damned quest! I’d rather spend it with you!”

Annabeth didn’t respond this time. Instead, she walked to the guest bedroom and slammed the door. Percy flung himself to the couch and silently stared at his bottle. Sally watched him pensively.

“Is it so wrong I just want to be normal?” he asked.

“No.” She moved to sit next to him, her arm around him. “It’s not.”

“I see the way you guys are with Estelle. I never got that. And I’m not blaming you. But we were this close.” He took the ring from his pocket and showed it to Sally.

Sally took his hand. “I know you, Percy Jackson. You’re stubborn and you’ll go for what you want. But I also know that you’ll make the right decision.” She moved to her bedroom and came back with a blanket and pillow, laying it out for him. “Get some sleep.”

Percy assembled a spot on the couch and stared at the ceiling. He tried to sleep. To avoid thinking about his life. His life he’d spent moving from town to town because monsters were always after him. And now he was being asked to save the world again. Couldn’t he just rest?

He looked at Annabeth’s door. He thought about all their adventures. Everything that had brought them closer together. And he knew right there why he kept getting involved in the end of the world. Because where else would they be?

Next thing he knew, he was knocking on Annabeth’s door. She opened it groggily.

“They’re at the Waldorf Astoria, on Park Avenue,” he announced.

She smiled. He loved that smile. “I hoped you’d come around,” she said.

“You were right,” he said. “They’re counting on us.”

“I’m sorry, Percy,” she said. “I know you wanted-”

“No, I’m sorry,” Percy interjected. “Running away from this sort of thing isn’t who I am. Who we are. It’s why I fell in love with you in the first place.”

_Oh, we’re doing this now? Yeah, okay. Guess we are._

“I’ve got some ideas on what to do when we get there. I called L-”

He took the ring from his pocket and showed it to her. Her face went white.

“Annabeth Chase, since we were twelve years old, you have been the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met. You’re fierce, you’re strong. You’re kind, you’re witty. And you’re the smartest person I’ve ever had the fortune of meeting. I want you, I _need_ you, to know what you mean to me.” He got down on one knee. “Will you marry me?”

She bit her lip. A single tear fell from her eye. “Yes.”

He stood and kissed her. Slipped the ring on. Kissed again.

“Sorry, I’d just been meaning to do that. What was your plan again?”


	14. HARRY

As they apparated in Harry’s apartment, Harry remembered the first time he had apparated. It was disorienting, really. Dumbledore had even told him most people throw up the first time.

He wished he’d remembered this sooner as Katniss hunched over.

Katniss cleaned herself off as Harry cleaned up the vomit with a spell. He let Katniss take the bed and pulled out the couch for himself. They lay in silence for a while, neither able to rest.

“Can’t sleep?” Harry asked.

“No,” Katniss answered.

“Bed’s too comfortable, right?” he said.

“Yeah,” she answered. “Even back home, my husband and I are laying there for hours.” She was silent for a moment before asking, “What about you? This world seems comfortable enough.”

“I slept in a cupboard under the stairs for most of my life,” Harry said.

“Really?”

“My aunt and uncle weren’t the nicest of guardians.”

“No one noticed?”

“Well, my acceptance letters to school were listed as ‘Harry Potter, Cupboard Under the Stairs’, so I suppose someone did.”

“And they just let you stay there?”

“I’ve since realized that a cupboard under the stairs is not out of the ordinary for some wizards.”

“Can’t imagine what kind of world you live in.”

Harry turned over. “You’ll see tomorrow. Get some rest.”

With that, the conversation ended. Katniss fell asleep, and after a few moments, Harry slipped into dreamless rest.

…

Harry had taken Katniss to the roof of the hotel. He stood and stared patiently at the sky. She tapped her foot repeatedly.

“What are we waiting for?” Katniss said.

“Normally, I would have taken the plane home, but I figured since you didn’t have a passport, this way might be easier,” Harry said. “Ah, here it is.”

One would think that, in a time of heightened security, it would be harder to hide the magic. But as people slowly retreated into their own little bubbles, Harry found that it had also become easier. Case in point was the carriage, pulled by four Thestrals, landing on top of the hotel with not a single person looking up.

Katniss stood frozen, her eyes wide as she tried to process the beasts before her. Harry motioned for her to follow.

“They’re called Thestrals,” Harry explained. “Giant horses that can only be seen by people who have seen death. They’re also really fast.”

Hesitantly, Katniss climbed on the carriage, and the two were quickly flying to Britain. Katniss asked the occasional question about the wizarding world, which Harry obliged. He wasn’t sure whether time travelers from a post-apocalyptic future qualified as Muggles and therefore if he was allowed to tell her these things, but who exactly was going to report him?

…

Ron Weasley sat in his office, a pile of papers littering his desk. As his brother George had expanded Weasley’s Wizards’ Wheezes, he’d put Ron in charge of the original store. Ron preferred it to his old job as an Auror. It was quiet enough that he could not stress about it and spend time with his kids when they were out of school, but chaotic enough that he could put his skills to use, like catching thieves and keeping children from ingesting too many Puking Pastels.

Harry sat across from Ron, noting these details and happy to see Ron enjoying himself. He was sad, too, for what he was about to ask. After their greetings and catching up for a while, Ron began to bring up the obvious.

“Hermione told me you went to America, yeah? To look for Lucius?” Ron asked.

Harry nodded.

“I’m guessing it was a mixed success?”

Harry nodded again.

“Sounds like most of our adventures,” Ron laughed. “So, what happened? Is he starting a Neo Death Eater cult or something?”

Harry paused, looking for the right words. “Kind of,” he said. Then he told Ron everything he’d told Hermione when he debriefed her. Lucius, gods, time travel.

After Harry finished, Ron summarized the situation neatly: “Well, shit.”

“It’s bad.”

“So, what are you talking to me for? Shouldn’t you be trying to find Nott?”

“I know where he is. He’s over in Azkaban. But Lucius had a lot of influence, and I need a partner I can trust to investigate this further,” he explained, giving a knowing glance to Ron.

Ron sighed and scratched his head. “And I was just getting ahead on the paperwork.”

“You’ll help?”

“Of course I’ll help,” Ron said. “I can’t stand by while the world ends. Plus, Hermione and Ginny would kill me.”

He stood and shook hands with Harry. “Now, let’s get out of here. You said there’s a muggle with you?”

“Yeah. Katniss. She’s, uh… stubborn.”

“Jolly.”

…

Back in the old days, when Harry and his friends were running around school solving mysteries, getting information was a challenge in and of itself. Sneaking into the restricted section of the library, eavesdropping on the adults, traipsing around the world. Now it was simply flashing his badge to a guard at Azkaban and he could go where he pleased.

Harry, Ron, and Katniss stood outside the enormous wizard prison, stretching high into the sky and disappearing into the void. Harry couldn’t help but feel a chill run down his spine. In her position as Minister for Magic, Hermione had it cleared out of dementors and all other things ruled “crimes against humanity”, but there was still a lingering sense of danger emanating from it. He remembered the stories his godfather, Sirius, would tell him, among the other horror stories following the end of the war.

“This is wizard prison?” Katniss asked. “It feels… wrong.”

“Yeah, that’s probably Umbridge,” Ron said. Harry laughed.

They entered the facility to a waiting room and up to the front desk. The attendant was an old man with a slight scruff, reading a book and not bothering to notice the individuals standing in front of him.

“I’m here to see an inmate. Theodore Nott?” Harry said.

The attendant didn’t look up. “It might be few hours. We’ve got a lot of paperwork to get through.”

“I was wondering if you could fast track it for me?” Harry slid his badge to the attendant.

He picked up the badge and studied it. His eyes widened. He looked Harry in the eye.

“Oh, uh, right, of course, sir!” He ran through a door in the back and disappeared.

Katniss chuckled. “You have a lot of pull, I see.”

Ron stared at her. “Do you… not know who he is?”

“She’s a muggle from hundreds of years in the future, Ron,” Harry countered. “I’m not that famous,”

The attendant returned. “We’re bringing Nott down now. He’ll be in Room L.”

Harry thanked the man and led Ron and Katniss to Room L. They entered the brick-lined room with solid steel doors and a one-way window. A man sat in the middle of the room, hunched over in his chair and not looking up as they entered. Harry only knew he wasn’t dead by the slight rise and fall of his chest.

“What if he tries to escape?” Katniss asked.

“Doubtful,” Ron said. “The room has every anti-magic charm we could think of. Even if he got out, he’s not getting off an island enchanted by a mad wizard engaged in horrible experiments converted into a prison.”

Katniss eyed Ron with an eyebrow raised. “What?”

“Can we focus?” Harry asked. He took the seat across from Nott. “Mr. Theodore Nott?”

Nott looked up from the table and met Harry’s eyeline. He had short hair, almost bald, and sported a long black beard. He seemed tired and, even though he was Harry’s age, looked twice that.

“I wanted to ask you some questions regarding an ongoing case,” Harry said. “Would you mind?”

Nott didn’t respond, but Harry chose to press ahead.

“You were engaged in dark magic experiments regarding time, is that correct?” Harry asked. He knew this to be true, but something about Nott’s demeanor led him to ask regardless.

“I was,” Nott said hoarsely.

“You were specifically working with time turners?”

“Yes. This was all covered in my trial.”

“I’m aware, Mr. Nott. But I needed to confirm.” Harry turned to Katniss and asked for the time turner in her pocket. She reached for it and handed it to him slowly, as if this was the most important object to her.

Harry turned back to Nott. “Do you recognize this?”

Nott fidgeted in his chair. “Yes. Yes.”

“Are you alright, Mr. Nott?”

“Fine. Fine.”

Nott calmed after a moment.

“Did you make this time turner?”

“No.”

“No?”

“I never made a successful version of the long-range time turner. You’ve seen the case files. You know how it turned out.”

“How are you sure you didn’t make this?”

“After the incidents, I got good at recognizing when things are from. This is from… two hundred forty years in the future. As is she.” He pointed a finger at Katniss.

“Has anyone approached you about time turners?”

“Plenty of people did some ten to twenty years ago. Former and Neo Death Eaters, mostly. Occasionally, some mob boss would ask about it. But I could never produce a working model. May I see it?”

Harry handed him the time turner. Nott fiddled with it in his hands.

“Fascinating. It’s a working model. My handywork, but not my hand.”

Katniss stepped forward. “Can you fix it?”

“I’m afraid this one is beyond repair. Whatever ingredient was involved was removed or disintegrated. What happened?”

“I fell on it.”

“Ah.”

Ron stepped forward now. “What did you mean ‘not your hand’?”

“Seems I get a least another two and a half centuries,” Nott smiled. “Or, at least, he did.”

Ron’s eyes widened. “Future you made that?”

“Yes, but it doesn’t mean I’ll make it.”

“Excuse me?” Harry asked.

“Normal time turners only go about five hours back and can’t change time. There’s a science behind this magic, but once you cross a certain barrier, a certain distance from your original point, time becomes more… malleable.”

“What happens to the original future?” Katniss asked.

“There’s a split. When long range time turners were first made, the resulting universes were unstable. Imagine that. Whole universes created and destroyed in the blink of an eye. That’s why what I was doing was labelled ‘dark magic’.”

“Are you saying the universe is going to be destroyed?” Harry asked.

Nott brought the time turner closer to his eye, squinted. “We’ll probably be fine. Whoever got me to do this had the right designs and avoided destabilization.”

“Brilliant,” Ron muttered.

Nott looked at Harry. “What else do you know?”

“Classified, sorry.” Harry took the time turner from Nott’s hands. Nott shot up and leaned forward, his handcuffs preventing him from reaching further.

“You can’t leave me here! The fabric of time is being tampered! Who do you think they’ll come after?! Please!”

Harry ignored him and walked out. Katniss and Ron followed.

“What if he’s right?” Katniss asked.

“I doubt your Capitol is going to waste time like that if all they’re coming here for are resources.”

“Besides, fat load of good that did us. What do we know now that we didn’t before?” Ron lamented.

“The Capitol has a wizard in the future working on time travel,” Harry answered. “That’s new.”

“Kind of obvious though.”

“More importantly, we know that there’s something going on beyond the Capitol,” Harry said.

“We do?” Katniss asked.

Harry stopped and turn to the two of them. “You said the Capitol wants to reconquer Panem and take over, right? Doesn’t traveling to the past seem a bit… out of the way?”

“They didn’t have the resources to launch an attack until now.”

“Right, but how did they get the monsters? The wizards? Kronos? Nott is smart and I think he knows more than he’s letting on. Or he’s figured it out, at least.”

“Why did we leave then?” Katniss asked.

“Let him stew for a moment,” Harry explained. “Then we head back in-”

The building shook violently. Everyone was thrown to the ground. Sirens blared and guards were blasting through the halls, shouting orders at each other. Katniss stumbled over to a window while Harry grabbed a guard.

“What happened?”

“We’re under attack!” He yelled. Harry let him go.

“Under attack by what?” Ron asked.

“By those.” Katniss pointed out the window. Harry joined her. Below them, a bull-headed man twice the size of a car slammed into the building.

“There’s just one. What do you mean those?” Harry asked.

She pointed further. Surfacing from the water was another bull-headed man, almost identical to the first except clad in a white armor. After reaching the shore, it bolted into the wall and crashed through, sending shockwaves and cracks through the upper floors.

The floor beneath Harry, Katniss, and Ron collapsed, and the trio fell.


	15. KATNISS

She wouldn’t have called the fall particularly “pleasant” but on the list of falls she had taken over the course of her life, this was the quickest. It seemed that way, because she had hit her head and been dazed for a while. She knew this but still could not figure out how long she’d been down.

Harry and Ron were nowhere close to her, so she had to make her way through on her own. The building continued to shake, with small rocks raining down. Several people in the proper uniforms rushed by her, though she did not seek to get their attention. The building was unfamiliar but all she needed was a staircase.

She passed through a row of cells, with several men and women poking out of the cells and trying to grab her.

“Free us!” They yelled. “We’ll make it worth your while!”

She ignored them and pressed on to the staircase. She opened the door and before stood one of the masked men in robes. Harry called them Death Eaters.

The man raised his wand to her face. “ _Avada-_ ”

She unsheathed her bow and smacked him in the face. She flipped him through the doorway and down to the ground. His wand rolled across the floor.

Another Death Eater came up the stairs. Katniss pulled an arrow from her quiver and launched it at the man’s chest. He fell, probably not dead.

“ _Alohomora!_ ”

One of the prisoner’s had grabbed the Death Eater’s wand and opened the cell door across from him. The man in the cell rushed Katniss and tackled her to the ground. The man in the cell, Snurly by his nametag, set about opening the other cell doors from his own.

Katniss shoved the man off her and stood, surrounded by four others, including Snurly, who had opened his own cell and held the wand at Katniss.

“Just not your lucky day, miss,” he snarled. He continued to inch closer to her. Just another step and–

She grabbed his hand and twisted it under her shoulder.

“ _Stupefy!_ ” Snurly yelled. Too late, as she adjusted its aim for the spell hit one of the prisoners and knocked him to the ground. She elbowed Snurly in the jaw and he dropped the wand.

Two of the others rushed forward and Katniss flung Snurly into one of them. A prisoner grabbed the wand, so Katniss stepped on his hand. He howled in pain before she kicked him across the face.

The wand had snapped under the weight of Katniss’s foot. She moved on to the staircase and launched into a man with a machine gun, knocking him out cold. She emptied the ammo but left the gun, preferring her primary weapon.

She reached the bottom of the stairs and cracked open the door as quietly as she could. The front area had been smashed to pieces, replaced with an open area looking out to the bright sun. The two minotaurs stood passively, waiting for something.

Through the hole in the wall stepped Romulus Thread.

Katniss readied an arrow but, looking around the room at the armed militia and giant bull men, decided it was a futile effort. Romulus had survived a point-blank gunshot regardless, so he likely had precautions.

The man from the warehouse, the one Harry called Lucius and Percy called Kronos, approached Romulus and saluted him.

“Is Azkaban secure?”

“We’re still rounding people up,” Kronos answered.

“Good. Make sure you take the higher levels. They’ll be waiting up there.”

Katniss heard a struggle. She peered further and saw two men dragging a terrified Theodore Nott from his cell. They threw him to the ground, holding him tight.

“Mr. Nott. You look younger than when I saw you last,” Thread smiled.

“Who the hell are you?” Nott spat.

“An old friend,” he said. “Or, I will be. Perhaps you’ve heard me talk? Or heard the other prisoners discuss me?”

Nott seemed confused at first, but realization dawned on him. “You can’t be that voice.”

“I very much can. I know you know the secrets of time travel. I know you know secrets that would not do well in enemy hands.”

Thread pulled out his gun and pointed it at Nott. “I’m sure you’ll forgive me.”

Katniss threw open the door and fired her arrow at Thread’s head.

He caught the arrow. He looked at Katniss. He fired the gun. Nott fell.

“Kill her,” he said. He walked away. Kronos unsheathed a black scythe and approached Katniss.

She fired an arrow at Kronos, who swiped it away. Another, and he swiped that one too. He approached her and swung his sword. She dodged the swipe but found herself exposed to the minotaurs.

“This one is mine!” He yelled.

He swung his sword down at Katniss, who jumped out of the way. She picked up a large stick from the ground, which looked like it could hold.

“A stick?” Kronos said. “You would beat the King of the Titans with a stick?”

She didn’t answer and held her position. This strategy wouldn’t work but it was her only strategy. She rushed him now. Her stick clashed against his sickle. He caught it in the curve and swiped it away.

“Noble,” he said. “But foolish.”

He raised the sickle to swing.


	16. PERCY

Percy and Annabeth needed a quick way to Britain. The last time they tried getting to Europe took them months and was an endless struggle of death-defying feats. And while boats were Percy’s thing, it wouldn’t be fast enough. Percy agreed they needed to fly. On the upside, they had a friend who could fly them there. On the downside, Leo’s giant mechanical dragon did not have seatbelts.

While Leo comfortably held the reins of Festus and let the wind rustle his air, Percy gripped the sides and closed his eyes like he had just eaten a bad meal.

“Oh, come on, Percy!” Leo yelled over the whipping winds. “It’s not like if you open your eyes it’ll kill you! I’ve been on Festus plenty of times and only died once!”

“That’s not as comforting as you think it is!”

Annabeth was gripping onto Percy, not so much out of love but more that he made a better grip than any part of Fez. “Thanks again for your help, Leo!”

“Of course! Think I’d turn down the chance to see Big Ben?”

“I don’t know if we’re going to have time for that,” Percy said. “We’re trying to save the world!”

Leo waved him off. “Eh, you’ve seen one end of the world, you’ve seen them all. Bird!”

Leo dipped Festus down hard. Percy gripped harder to the sides of the dragon and looked up, away from the rapidly approaching ocean. But he looked back again. Multiple modern ships with no identification were sailing north.

“Are those military?” Percy asked.

“No. Look closer.” Annabeth pointed and, as Percy looked closer, he could see the men in strange robes, some monsters, and white uniformed soldiers with guns.

“The Capitol,” Percy said.

“The what?” Leo asked.

“Those guys we were telling you about,” Annabeth said. “Where are they heading?”

Percy felt closed his eyes and focused on the movement of the waves. “There’s an island just a mile away. But it’s hard to focus on it… it’s fuzzy. Like the Mist to mortals. Leo, follow the ships.”

Festus took a hard-left turn and zipped through the air. There was a fog that quickly cleared. A black-brown building, with several barred windows stretched high into the sky. The bottom had been blown inwards, with two ships docked. Several monsters lined the building. It looked like a prison, which clicked in Percy’s mind.

“This the wizard prison Harry was talking about,” Percy explained. “Azkaban. The most secure facility in the wizarding world.”

“Not that secure,” Leo said.

“Bring us down!”

Festus nose-dived to the ground. Men on the ship saw them and fired. Bullets ricocheted off Festus’s stomach. He responded by breathing fire on them.

The dragon landed outside the prison. Percy unsheathed Riptide and headed inside. He saw Katniss fighting Kronos with a stick. And not immediately dying. Percy gave her props for that.

He summoned a wave from the nearby ocean and shot it toward Kronos, who by this point was about to stab her. He was knocked off his feet and flew through a window.

Percy rushed toward her but stopped, surrounded by two Minotaurs.

“Wait, two?” Annabeth said as she joined him.

“I hate time travel,” Percy answered.

The Minotaurs stomped him, slamming both their fists at him. Percy dove through the legs of the one clad in white. The other swung his axe at Percy, nearly cutting off the other’s leg.

The Future Minotaur shoved the Minotaur before both turned their attention to Percy. They swung their axes down at him, which he blocked with Riptide. He could handle one with ease but two proved to be a bit more challenging.

An arrow poked out of the eye of the Future Minotaur. He fell and turned to dust while the other blocked another incoming arrow as Katniss prepped another arrow.

Annabeth stabbed the Minotaur in the leg. Percy jumped onto its back and stabbed Riptide into him. The Minotaur tried to grab Percy but failed to do so before falling to the ground and turning to dust.

“That’s four,” Percy said.

“Well, I killed the white-armored one,” Katniss said.

“I set him up for you,” Percy said. “Technically it’s at least kind of my kill.”

“Is this really important right now?” Annabeth interrupted.

Another ship docked on the shore, and an army of monsters flooded the prison. Festus landed and snatched up an unsuspecting Dracenae in his mouth. Leo ran to Percy, Annabeth, and Katniss.

“Festus can handle those guys, but we’ll need more than us soon,” he said.

Sudden smoke trails appeared in the sky, swirling around the building. Spells shot from the trails, disabling some of the forces below before landing on the ground. Wizards emerged and fired more spells, while casting shields against their counterattacks.

“Okay, I need a million dollars,” Leo said, holding out his hands expectantly.

Annabeth smacked him. A Neo Death Eater broke through the ranks and charged toward the group. The doors behind them flung open, revealing a red-haired man with a wand. He blasted a red spell and knocked the Neo Death Eater to the ground.

“Ron!” Katniss said. “Are you alright? Where’s Harry?”

Ron shrugged. “I’m not sure. He went off on his own after we got separated. He might have been looking for you.” He cast a shield and fired another stunning spell at a Peacekeeper. “Who are these guys?”

“Allies. Demigods,” she explained.

“Oh, yeah, Harry mentioned you.”

Percy said, “Alright. Katniss, you and I will look for Harry. The rest of you should stay and back up the others.”

Leo nodded and rushed into the battle. Ron followed him, mumbling, “Like I’m a teenager again.”

Annabeth grabbed Percy and kissed him. “Good luck.” She charged into a battle with a ferocious roar and knocked over a Capitol soldier.

Katniss smirked. “Noticed she was wearing a ring.”

Percy waved her off. “Pssh. Come on, we need to find Harry.”

The duo made their way behind the guard’s post. Kronos had vanished.

“Where’d he go?” Katniss asked.

“Hopefully back to Tartarus,” Percy answered. “But I doubt it. Come on.”

They continued through the back halls, encountering a few monsters that they easily dispatched. They raced past a door, but Percy stopped. He backed toward the door and stared at it.

“Percy?” Katniss asked. “What is it?”

He’d felt this feeling once before. The last time he was in Europe, in Arachne’s chamber. There had been a feeling just like this.

He opened the door and the feeling got stronger. Every bone in his body screamed at him to turn away and run.

But he was running no more. He turned to Katniss. “Let’s go.”


	17. HARRY

Harry landed two floors away from where he had been before. It wasn’t a pleasant fall, but it could be worse. For example, Ron could land him, which would definitely hurt. And then Ron did. And it hurt.

Harry shrugged Ron off him. They both stood slowly, Harry bracing himself against the wall.

“Where’s Katniss?” Harry asked.

“I don’t know. Wasn’t she with us?”

Four Neo Death Eaters raced through the staircase. Two stayed behind while the others continued their trek upstairs. The two pulled out their wands and launched killing curses at Harry and Ron. They ducked behind piles of rubble as the blasts bounced off the walls.

Harry stood and yelled “ _Stupefy!_ ” The spell hit its target and he slumped.

The other Neo Death Eater launched another killing curse at Harry, who dropped to the ground. Ron rolled out from behind cover and shouted, “ _Stupefy!_ ” The Neo Death Eater, distracted by Harry, dropped with his compatriot.

“Thanks,” said Harry.

“Should we be expecting reinforcements?” Ron asked.

Harry nodded and moved to the window. He pointed his wand to the sky and thought, _Azkaban is under attack by Kronos. Send reinforcements. Whoever can get here fast._

Then he muttered the words, “ _Expecto Patronum!_ ” A brilliant white light shot from his wand. It took the form of a large and beautiful stag, before running off into the sky. And for a moment, hope and light rained over the prison.

This was short lived, however, as more ships arrived at the shores of Azkaban.

“Come on,” Harry said. “We need to move.”

Harry and Ron made their way down the stairs, Harry yelling orders at any Azkaban guard they came across. Reaching the hallways on the bottom floor, they started heading for the front of the prison when they heard a single, loud gunshot. Then there were footsteps heading toward them.

Ron pulled out his wand and stepped forward, only to be stopped by Harry.

“Hide,” Harry said.

“But-”

“Trust me.”

Harry and Ron rounded back around the corner. Poking around it, Harry saw an old man backed by a Peacekeeper step through and approach a door. He opened it and they stepped through.

“What’s through there?” Ron said.

“Before this was a prison, it was a lab for a dark wizard,” Harry explained.

“Yeah, Hermione told me that on our first date.”

“Really? Not important. We moved most of his stuff down there, especially after Voldemort’s downfall and the reformation. But there was always one part we could never get through. Some darkness that, though we purged it from the upper levels, always remained in the basement.”

“You think that old guy has something to do with it?”

“What do you mean, ‘that old guy’? You and I are almost fifty.” Harry gave a light chuckle. “But yeah. Go back up whoever’s out front. I’m going to find out who that man is and what he’s doing down there.”

Ron nodded and ran toward the front. Harry opened the door and walked through it. What he hadn’t told Ron was that whoever that man is, he was sure he was the man responsible for everything.

Harry continued down the stairs and found himself on a catwalk hovering over a large storage space. He took the catwalk and continued to watch as the old man knelt down to the ground. The Peacekeeper stood a few feet behind him. The old man slammed a fist down

The building shook and Harry felt as though a massive wind had blown through him. All the boxes were flung into the air and against the wall, creating a circle of debris outlining the old man. The Peacekeeper had been knocked to the floor. He slowly stood and rubbed his head.

Harry heard footsteps barreling down the stairs. He pointed his wand, ready for a fight. Percy and Katniss leapt off the stairs, pointing their weapons at him.

Percy laughed. “We have to stop meeting like this.”

Harry shushed him and showed them the old man.

“That’s Romulus Thread,” Katniss whispered. She moved to attack, but Harry grabbed her arm.

“He cleared the room just by slamming his fist down. We can’t take him. Let’s at least see what he’s up to.”

“What if he’s about to blow us up?” Katniss asked.

“Then stop him before he does,” Harry answered, and turned back to Romulus Thread. Thread began to chant something in foreign language, focused on the ground beneath his feet.

“That’s Ancient Greek,” Percy whispered. “How does he know that?”

The ground rumbled. A crack opened in the ground, through it a bronze light that could only be cast by fire shone through. The soldier averted his eyes while Romulus watched unaffected.

Percy muttered, barely audible, “Tartarus.”

For a while, there was no noise. Utter silence filled the room. Romulus waited patiently, staring at the crack while he seemed to expect it to speak.

Which it did.

“What is this?” A voice bellowed. It was a deep, gravelly voice, one that just felt scarred.

“Call it a prayer,” said Romulus. “You’re not used to receiving those, I know.”

“You have summoned me?”

“I have. I know who you are.”

“None know who I am. Not yet. I am the Forgotten. The Cast Away. I was scrubbed so thoroughly even the legends don’t know who I am.”

“Want me to prove it?”

“Do so.”

“You are Mikhalis. The forgotten son of Zeus and Metis. His firstborn and the rightful heir to the throne of Olympus.”

Percy seemed to go limp, his brow furrowed but his eyes wide.

“For thousands of years, you climbed your way from the bottom to the top of Tartarus. You’ve honed your skills and been powered by nothing but hatred for all that watched you go. On the winter solstice, December 21, 2025, you plan to break free from your imprisonment and lay waste to this world, before slaughtering the gods, claiming the throne, and becoming King of the cosmos.”

For a while, the voice was silent. Then it said, “You are correct. Why are you here?”

“I’m here to help.”

“Why?”

“I have a personal investment in your success. In my time, two hundred forty years from now, you almost succeeded. Killed the gods, destroyed magic, laid waste to most of the world. But you were interrupted. Almost killed. I seek to fix it, so you succeed.”

“And who are you to have such a vested interest in my success?”

“I don’t look familiar? I guess that makes sense. You’ve never seen a mirror.”

Romulus turned to the soldier, who by this point looked like he was regretting the white. “You served well, soldier. Sorry to have to do this.”

Romulus curled into himself, hugging his stomach. He screamed a blood-curdling scream, like a goat having it horns ripped off. Light burst from eyes, mouth, then his whole body.

“Don’t look! Back away!” Percy yelled over the light. Harry cast a shield charm as a force fifty times that of the one before exploded from Romulus, knocking the trio back against the wall. There was a deafening noise, Harry felt his eardrums rupture, as the ceiling crumbled and seemed to almost cave in.

As the smoke cleared, Harry crawled forward and looked at the scene. The soldier was gone, reduced to ashes. Where Romulus stood now was a dimly glowing figure, wearing Greek armor and a rage burning just from the sight of him, before fading back to Thread.

The voice said, “You are…”

He answered, “I am you, from two hundred and forty years in the future. I am Mikhalis, the god of monsters, rage, and the end of all things. I have come to change my destiny. I have come to destroy the worlds.”


	18. KATNISS

Katniss had never really liked Romulus Thread. He had taken over as Head Peacekeeper of District 12 after the sudden disappearance of the more agreeable one. Their first meeting had taken place while he was whipping her friend and crush almost to death. He had been cruel, tried to kill her several times, and abandoned District 12 as it was firebombed.

Now, seeing him being worn like a suit, his eyes wracked with pain, she could feel only pity. Pity for a man who had caused a return of her nightmares.

The voice from the crack bellowed, “How is this possible?”

Thread answered, “Time travel. After my defeat, I took my time to recover. Found many resources in the world. Including this suit.” He waved a hand to demonstrate. “But once the solstice comes, you and I will be at an advantage. We know what’s coming. And we can make it right.”

He looked up at Katniss, Percy, and Harry. “Enjoying the show?”

Harry pulled out his wand. “ _Stupefy!_ ”

The spell bounced off Thread like a rubber ball. A burst of bronze energy shot formed in his hand, which he swung in an arc at the catwalk.

Katniss and the others dove out of the way. The catwalk exploded, disintegrated where they were sitting. It fell down with Katniss on it while Harry and Percy stayed above.

“Run!” Katniss yelled.

Harry and Percy ran to the stairs heading down to Katniss, only to be blocked by an approaching Thread. Percy unsheathed Riptide and held it in front of him.

“Back off. I killed Kronos,” Percy said.

“And I brought him back. What do you think is more impressive?” said Thread. Thread generated another burst of bronze energy in his hand, shaped like a sword. It clashed against Riptide and seemed to melt it like a forge.

Katniss fired an arrow at Thread, aiming for the shoulder. Distracted by Percy, it struck his backside, though it seemed little more than an annoyance. He sliced through Riptide, its blade clattering to the ground. He smacked Percy across the face, bloodying him almost instantly.

The door leading upstairs swung open. Behind it stood snake women, one eyed men, Peacekeepers, and Neo Death Eaters. Harry yelled “ _Stupefy!_ ” and all near the door were flung back. Harry grabbed the door and held it shut against the army.

Above them, they heard the building shake and crumble. Thread looked down at Percy and laughed.

“The plan is to destroy the building and trap everyone inside. No one will be able to save you,” he said. Katniss moved to the bottom of the stairs by the fallen Peacekeeper and fired another arrow at Thread, which he caught. It detonated in his face, sending him falling down the stairs.

Harry continued to press against the door with Percy laid in front of him. “I don’t think this is going to hold much longer!”

Katniss moved to help him but caught a glimpse of the Peacekeeper’s armory. She could see the gun and what remained of the armor, yes, but there, hanging from his belt, was a time turner. She grabbed it and raced up the stairs to Harry, whose eyes widened in fear on seeing it.

“No,” he said.

“We have no other choice,” she said. “There’s no escape unless we use this.”

“We’d have no idea what we’re going into.”

“It’s better odds than we have now.”

Harry looked back at the door, at the quickly rising Thread.

“I promise you, I will get the both of you back here. But we need to go.”

Harry closed his eyes, took a deep breath. Then he pulled Percy up and huddled with Katniss. “You know how this works?”

“No, but it didn’t stop me before.”

She turned a piece of the Time Turner, which could be done only once. A blue haze encircled them. As the building crumbled above them, they vanished, gone from this time.

THE END


End file.
